Two new Portland Loos will find their way to downtown streets later this year.

The solar-powered toilets were first unveiled in late 2008 by Commissioner Randy Leonard in response to a lack of safe public restrooms downtown.

Lynch Mechanical Construction Co. and Madden Fabrication, both of Portland, were under contract with the city for the first two loos, which cost around $56,000 a piece. Now that the city has redesigned the loos to be more easily monitored by police looking for illegal activity, it has issued a new request for proposals from companies looking to build the next generation of Portland’s toilets.

“We moved some of the louvres around to the front door because police wanted more views there,” said Anne Hill, project manager for the Portland Loos. “We have issued a rebid, and those are due April 14.”

After being reviewed by the design commission, the city hopes to install a new loo at Southwest Taylor Street and Naito Parkway before the Rose Festival in late May. Another loo at Southwest Ash Street and Naito Parkway is scheduled to be reviewed by the Historic Landmarks Commission on April 12.