Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - The Potsdam toilet wars: One Upstate NY man sees art, others 'see crappers' - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Our nation is divided, perhaps no place more than Potsdam, N.Y., where neighbors are struggling with this question: Can a toilet be art?

Hank Robar says yes, and he's planted three toilet gardens around this North Country town of about 17,000 near the Canadian border.

"I get more thumbs up than thumbs down," Robar said. "People even call me and give me suggestions of what to do."

Daryl Kolanko, the owner of the local Agway, finds little inspiration from the displays. When one collection of toilets filled with sand and fake flowers on Pine Street near his store recently toppled over, he'd had enough.

Kolanko changed the electronic sign outside the Agway to read: ""We Don't See Art. We See Tipped Over Toilets."

The flashing lights drew the attention of the town's code enforcement officer, who requested Robar upright the bowls. Robar complied and tidied things up. The toilets themselves – dozens of them – stayed.

That prompted Kolanko, the weekend before Thanksgiving, to update the sign: "We don't see art. Now we see crappers."

Robar started the toilet displays years ago, after a dispute with town officials over whether he could sell a parcel for a future Dunkin' Donuts. (He couldn't.)

Over time, the toilet gardens grew. "People donate them," Robar said. "They just drop them off to me. The more the merrier. If somebody brought me 50, I can put them right up."

But the bowls are wearing on some town residents' nerves, Kolanko said.

"The village officials' hands are tied," Kolanko said. "He's claiming it is art. He has a leg to stand on there. It's an eyesore to 99.8 percent of the people in the village. You can see it from the main intersection of Potsdam. It's getting old."

The good news, Kolanko joked, is that winter is here. The snow helps disguise the white toilets, masking the issue for a few months.

Kolanko also said Robar has been a customer at the Agway. The store owner said he realizes he's risking losing Robar's business over the public displays.

But when it comes to signs, Robar isn't holding any grudges. When asked today if he'd continue to shop at the Agway, Robar didn't hesitate. "Sure," he said. "Why not?"

source: http://www.newyorkupstate.com/northern-ny/2016/11/the_potsdam_toilet_wars_one_upstate_ny_man_sees_art_others_see_crappers.html

by Teri Weaver

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com