We all know to wash our hands with soap and water after using the restroom.
It's an important step in preventing the spread of harmful germs and disease.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story will air on KOLD News 13 at 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14,
But anyone who's spent time at some of our local neighborhood parks might have noticed there often is no soap available in the restrooms.
"It's a little unsanitary," said Eric Thomas, who coaches kids' soccer at Rillito Park. "I have to look after my players, and I don't want them getting sick, and I don't want to get sick."
READ MORE: Keep a germ-free home for the holidays HERE.
READ MORE: Surprising germ hideouts in your home HERE.
Thomas has noticed that the park restrooms rarely have soap available, and the dispensers are often damaged.
"Yes, we're definitely aware of the deficiency," said Sierra Davenport, with the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department.
Davenport said rampant vandalism is the reason for the the lack of soap. People keep breaking the dispensers, and the city struggles to replace them all in a timely manner at the more than 100 parks.
"A lot of times, as soon as they go up, they get broken right back off," Davenport said. "The cost of replacing them plus the staff time to constantly be replacing them was becoming an issue."
The same situation is happening at Pima County parks. By their estimate, nearly one third of county soap dispensers are missing or damaged, including at Pantano River Park and Ajo Regional Park.
"We've had a lot of vandalism and budget cuts over the years," said George Kuck, with Pima County Parks and Recreation. "We have to try to prioritize our deferred maintenance, and it kind of fell through the cracks."
But no matter how costly or inconvenient, parks must replace the soap, according to the law.
"(The law) has been on the books for a long time," explained David Ludwig, with the Pima County Public Health Department.
He said it's a county code that's enforced on a complaints-only basis and his department has not received any complaints from people.
"If this airs, and we start having complaints, well, it's our policy that we'll get out there and take a look at those facilities," he said.
READ MORE: Putting gadget cleaners to the test HERE.
READ MORE: The top five germ hot spots you aren't cleaning HERE.
But before that happens, both the city and county parks departments said they are taking steps now.
"We're looking at temporarily having some bars of soap out there, so at least people have some soap while we're replacing the missing dispensers," Kuck said.
"Trying to find some soap dispensers that maybe are hidden away, that are hard to vandalize, or maybe impossible to vandalize," Davenport added.
In fact, a few county parks now have metal boxes installed in front of soap dispensers to protect them from damage. It's one possible solution, but a costly one on a large scale.
So, park leaders continue to have a long-term challenge on their hands, trying to get soap on ours.
"We need to do a better job of figuring out a way that works," Thomas said. "There's no excuse to not have clean hands."
Our local parks leaders are also looking to other cities and counties for ideas and solutions because this is a problem that's happening elsewhere too.
Contact the Pima County Health Department at 520-724-7770 report missing soap in a park restroom.
MOBILE USERS: Download the Tucson News Now app for Apple and Android devices.
Copyright 2016 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.
http://ift.tt/2f77VI6
Best Product Soap
Defense Soap Bar 4 Oz (5 Pack) All Natural Antibacterial Antifungal Therapeutic
Kirk's Original Coco Castile Bar Soap, 4 Oz, 3 Count
Raw African BLACK SOAP Organic From GHANA Pure Premium Quality CHOOSE
Dial White Antibacterial Deodorant Soap, 4 Oz, 10 Count
0 Response to "KOLD INVESTIGATES: Why soap is so hard to find at neighborhood parks - Tucson News Now"
Post a Comment