Councilman: disposal boxes won’t fix used needle issue in Lawrence Park

The Kalispell City Council briefly discussed the recent discovery of hundreds of used needles in Lawrence Park during their meeting Monday evening, agreeing to possibly hold a work session to address the issue in the near future.

Ben Long, whose property borders the park on Fourth Avenue, brought the problem to the city’s attention after he and a neighbor found hundreds of used needles in the area two weekends ago.

“I’m heartened that the city council is taking a good look at this, which has been a stubborn problem for a long time both here in Lawrence Park and elsewhere around the city. I really believe it is a problem that is worthy of their attention and time,” Long said.

Councilman Chad Graham was adamant that the city needs to look into ways of dealing with the problem, but was dismissive of a proposal from Flathead County HIV Prevention Specialist Shawna Himsl to place sharps disposal boxes in the park.

“The email we got about putting needle dropoff boxes in the park does not fly with me. I am not going to put my support behind that use,” he said. “Kids playing in our parks and picnics and dogs catching frisbees and golf, those two (listed activities and needle disposal boxes) in my mind, will never coexist.”

Himsl, who also heads up the Flathead Syringe Exchange Program, says it is not the first time her proposal has been denied.

“One of the first things I did when I started the syringe exchange program last April was to call the Parks Department because I know there has been drug activity in our local parks, both purchasing and using,” she said. “I asked if I could put up a small sharps bin, but was told that I could not because drug use is not that big of a deal in the parks, and even if it was, the city did not want to encourage drug use there by putting up the boxes.”

Himsl said that the recent discovery of needles in Lawrence Park prompted her to try again, but the city was once again resistant to the idea.

“I had pretty much given up on the idea, but when I saw about all of the needles that were found in Lawrence Park, I decided to start the sharps disposal box conversation once again. I was again told that it was an isolated incident and my request was denied,” she said. “I know it is pretty much a band-aid solution, but I believe that if there would have been a sharps disposal bin in the park, then that collection of needle waste would have never happened. The people that participate in our program really want to get rid of their syringes the right way, there just are not a lot of options out there for them. I get where the city council is coming from, I just feel that the argument that the boxes would encourage people to use drugs is just not factual.”

Long said he agreed that disposal boxes may not be the answer, but he said it would at least be a way to start dealing with the problem while other solutions are discussed.

“I would certainly rather have some disposal bins scattered around than find another box with hundreds of dirty needles on my property,” he said. “I don’t think there is a resident of Kalispell that would think that is acceptable.”

Graham proposed during the meeting that the city look into ways of thinning out the vegetation around the fringes of Lawrence Park, similar to what was recently done at Woodland Park, and that the addition of more bike trails, picnic areas and public use areas might help combat the issue.

“It needs to be cleaned out and thinned out,” Graham said. “We need to shine some light down on those areas.”

Long says he feels there would be complications to that approach, both with the city’s ability to get the work done as well as the impact it would have on the local ecosystem.

“I know there is talk of using heavy-handed vegetation management to help deal with the problem, but I think there are a lot of reasons why that wouldn’t work in Lawrence Park,” he said. “Operating heavy equipment in a wetland, which is where we found these needles, is both legally and physically challenging plus there are many migratory birds that use that area as well as deer, bobcats and other wildlife.”

Long proposes another way of keeping down drug use in the area.

“I think we need to be respectful of the park and not do more damage. I think doing a lot of cutting in that part of the park would be expensive and not give a very good return on taxpayer dollars spent,” Long said. “There are simpler ways to deal with the problem, like having staffer and volunteers strap on some boots and walk through to have more of a presence in the park. That’s something that could be done in other problem spots around the city.”

The city’s work session on the matter has not yet been scheduled.

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com