Advocacy Win: Porta Potties for the People

9/8/2026 · Neighborhood Team

When we first gathered the Villa Park FANs and formed the Family Engagement and Support Circle, we wanted to focus on a specific action that would benefit families and could be done quickly. After discussing various projects with parents, we landed on an issue that every parent (and those of us with small bladders) can relate to: lack of bathroom access.

While our newly renovated Joe P. Martinez Park is a crown jewel of our neighborhood; the lack of bathrooms was immediately noticeable. This makes planning public events harder - as when we had to pause the jazz music at 2025’s Winter Festival so a musician could decamp to a nearby neighbor’s house for their facilities - but it also just makes being in the park that much harder logistically, especially for the kids visiting the playground.

The Family Engagement and Support Circle sprang into action, advocating to Denver Parks and Recreation to get a porta potty installed on site. We were serious, too; we even told Parks we were prepared to pay for a porta potty if absolutely necessary. After a couple months of conversations with City of Denver officials, we’re pleased to announce that a new, fully accessible porta potty is now installed Martinez Park, and should be there permanently. This is the type of tangible action that Villa Park FANs was founded to create. We couldn’t be prouder of this win and the hard work from the members of the Family Engagement and Support Circle.

Does this sound like the type of action you want to help create, or want to get involved with the Family Engagement and Support Circle? Join us on Discord to get plugged in! Alternatively, the Martinez Park trash pickup hosted by the Family Engagement and Support Circle meets every month in the park - check out our events page to add the link to your calendar. Can’t wait to see you soon to make our neighborhood better!