BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- A documentary filmmaker is eyeing the Potsdam toilet gardens as the focal point of his next project.

Morgan Elliott, a Canton native now living in Boston and founder of the production company Ridge 44 Productions, is looking for personal stories from local residents about the toilet gardens to feature in a feature-length documentary called "Potty Town."

Elliott is currently filming in Potsdam for the project. "Potty Town" will be directed and produced by Elliott and shot and produced by John Sovie of Sov's Media.

"I've been working on this project on and off for the past several years with the intention of creating a feature-length documentary. With the latest developments, now is the right time to complete it," Elliott said.

A years-long legal and political battle between local businessman Hank Robar, who owns the gardens and the village board over the porcelain presentations could soon reach an end.

Using a revised village code that deals with junk storage and specifically bathroom fixtures, the mayor and trustees approved a recent resolution calling for Robar to empty the bowls and dethrone the properties by Sept. 1.

Independent film company Margrette Bird Pictures has acquired the rights to the upcoming film, which will chronicle the history of the gardens.

The local businessman installed the first toilet garden in 2004 after being denied a zoning change on property at Market and Pleasant streets which would have allowed him to sell the land to Dunkin Donuts to build a shop there. After the denial, Robar placed numerous toilets on the property and stuffed them with plastic flowers. The size and number of the displays has grown over the years to seven properties, along with opposition by village officials.

At one point during the toilet tussle, a court decision determined that the gardens were a form of artistic expression. And, indeed, numerous residents from Potsdam and surrounding communities, as well as visitors to the village have publicly called the gardens folk art. Many of these loo lovers have protested what they view as a gentrification of the village with the call to have the gardens eliminated.

Meanwhile opposition to the jocular johns has largely centered around how outside visitors to the colleges and potential hires to the local hospital, as well as other professional job candidates looking to relocate to the community, might view the gardens in a negative light. The possibility of a downward spiral in property values for lots neighboring the toilet gardens has also been raised.

"This story has broad appeal -- it's about government, protest, art, and community. It's a story that concerns all of Potsdam whether you despise the toilets or support them. I know some people say this issue is stupid or trivial, but I think it's a microcosmic look at America, and it's unique enough that people outside our area will take interest--in fact, they already have," the filmmaker said.

"The community's opinion is such an important part of this documentary," Elliott said. "That's why we'd like to set up an opportunity for them to be a part of it. Anyone who has an opinion on the matter, or a story about the toilets, can contact me at ridge44productions@gmail.com . We will be inviting some of these community members to speak on camera."

All interviews conducted by the documentarian will be done using social distancing guidelines.

To learn more about Elliott's documentary visit the project's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PottyTownDocumentary .

"Potty Town" is executive produced by CJ Wallis and Mallory Kennedy, best known for their work on "The Fiddling Horse," Best Picture and Best Feature winner at the 2019 Golden Gate International Film Festival, Gulf Coast Film Festival and named Best Comedy by Hollywood Weekly Magazine; and the documentary "Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much," about a Texas math teacher who outsmarted The Price is Right, which won Best Documentary at the Orlando Film Festival and opened Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival in 2018.