City council passes rule changes for Spokane’s parks

Jack Ferris by LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN

UPDATE: Spokane City Council unanimously passed the resolution during their Monday meeting.

Previous Story:If you take a look – you might find that some of Spokane’s governing park rules are a bit dated.

“It used to say ‘no person can dangerously do activities such as hacky sack,” said Spokane Park Ranger Supervisor James Worthington. “We felt that was a little interesting. I’ve never seen dangerous hacky sacking before.”

While the city council will look to decriminalize hacky sack – Washington has already done the same to recreational marijuana. As a result- the city wants to penalize marijuana users under the same umbrella as alcohol users in the park: a fine of $56 for the first offense.

The city will also address park hours, fishing, and drone usage.

However- the biggest adjustment is no doubt the language surrounding sleeping in the parks. The rule used to prohibit “camping,” a pretty ambiguous term. The new rule makes “using the park in a matter that hinders the enjoyment of others” illegal.

“Traditionally people would complain to us about people sleeping in the red wagon or one of the sports courts but there really wasn’t anything we could do about it. It really did impact the enjoyment and usage of the park so we wanted to make sure that it gives us a mechanism to deal with this and also refer these people to different community services,” said Worthington.

Public comment will be heard prior to the council’s final vote on the proposed rule changes Monday night.

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