Wenatchee Implements Park Policies to Deter Vandalism

The city of Wenatchee has opted to move forward with three new policies for city parks in an effort to reduce vandalism. Three interrelated policies - removal of garbage and temporary shelter, loose needle collection and lost and found - were approved by Wenatchee city council at the April 8 meeting.

The garbage and temporary shelter policy provides specifics on the process when responding to an area and defines what is kept and what is thrown out. The loose needle collection policy provides safety guidelines to collect and dispose of needles found in the park.

"You'd be amazed at the amount of needles that we find everywhere from playgrounds to the shrub beds," said Dave Erickson, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Director.

The third policy implemented was a lost and found policy and procedure with the addition of bike specific section. Bike parts are found frequently in city parks, according to Erickson.

"Park vandalism is super expensive, time consuming to respond to," said Erickson.

The vandalism reduction program has several aspects already in place such as the Park Watch program and transitioning park hours of operation to daylight only hours.