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Spokane locks Shadle Park restroom after arson; city pledges more park ranger patrols and repairs
Summary
Garrett Jones, director of the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation, said a fire in the women's restroom at Shadle Park has prompted the city to lock the facility until repairs, and that the Together Spokane initiative will guide investments and increased park ranger patrols to restore playground amenities.
Garrett Jones, director of the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation, said at Shadle Park that the women's restroom there has been locked after a fire and that city crews will repair the damage before reopening the amenity. Jones described the damage as part of a pattern of vandalism and arson affecting Spokane parks.
Jones said the city will use measures including increased park ranger patrols and maintenance investments through the Together Spokane initiative, a partnership with Spokane Public Schools, to replace burned or vandalized playground amenities and to maintain facilities at “a higher level of service.” He said these steps are intended to prevent future damage and restore public use of the park.
Jones described the restroom fire as one example of repeated vandalism at park sites, saying, “Believe it or not, this is an issue that we see in parks and recreation around whether it's our in a restroom or a playground facility where fires are lit, and then at the end of the day nothing is available for the community to use in a positive way.” He repeated that the women's restroom at Shadle Park “will be locked and that amenity will be out of service until our crews are able to fix that.”
As part of the stated approach, Jones pointed to Liberty Park as a model for restoration and said park rangers will focus proactive patrols in specific neighborhood districts to create “touch points with the community” intended to reduce vandalism and arson before damage occurs. “...they could focus on that particular district within those neighborhoods and provide those touch points with the community, create that ownership and then catch these issues before they become a problem,” Jones said.
The transcript did not specify a timeline for repairs, dollar amounts for replacements, or detailed staffing increases for the park ranger program. Funding sources for the Together Spokane work were not specified in the remarks. The city did state the restroom is closed until crews complete repairs, and said it intends to pursue replacement of playground equipment and increased patrols as part of ongoing park maintenance efforts.
