Categorized | Government, News

County parks are safe for public use

MEDIA RELEASE

Hawai‘i County’s public parks, gyms and other facilities are safe for public use, said Robert Fitzgerald, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. An article in Saturday’s Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald (2/20/10) may have given readers a different impression.

The article described the challenges the Department faces with potentially hazardous materials in its aging facilities but did not say that areas where hazardous materials have been identified are cordoned off and not accessible by the public.

All County Parks and Recreation facilities that are currently open to the public are safe to use, Fitzgerald said in response to the article.

In addition, every employee in the Parks and Recreation Department has been trained to recognize potential hazards for the protection of employees and the public.

The County began inspecting for hazardous materials in its facilities under a program initiated by the County in July 2008. The purpose was to catalog the findings for use in conjunction with future construction projects and to develop Department-wide hazardous materials management, repair and response procedures.

All of the hazardous materials findings are kept at the Department of Parks and Recreation’s administrative offices and may be viewed during regular business hours. Anyone with questions or concerns regarding Parks and Recreation facilities is encouraged to call Director Bob Fitzgerald at 961-8311.

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