KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There are several open 311 cases dealing with homeless people sleeping around the playground or trash, including broken glass and used needles, strewn about the grounds at Gillham Park in Kansas City, Missouri.
A used hypodermic needle proved to be an unsettling sight for one mom.
Jamie Weeks and her 2-year-old daughter found a syringe next to the playground's jungle gym Wednesday morning.
"I don’t know what’s on it," she said. "I have no idea where it came from, what it could carry and it’s really disappointing."
Weeks warned other parents on social media who noted this isn't the first time.
"In the last couple of months, there was one that was found by the splash pad, which is even more of a concern because obviously many kids run around with no shoes on over there," Weeks said.
Between the needle and broken glass, Weeks and her daughter cut their trip short.
"She didn’t understand that it was for her safety," Weeks said.
Weeks tried letting the city know about the problem by calling a phone number posted on a sign at the playground, which turned out to be disconnected.
The KCMO Parks and Recreation Department wasn't aware of the non-working number until being notified by 41 Action News.
"It rarely happens that we disconnect a number that the city — our employees — are actually using, but it does happen every once in a while, because it doesn’t get used often for whatever reason," Deputy Director of Operations at KCMO Parks and Recreation Roosevelt Lyons said.
As for the dangerous mess at the park, Lyons said they send maintenance crews to Gillham Park daily.
"Our crews get those immediately and they try to take care of those at the beginning of the day, but that doesn’t always happen," Lyons said. "They try to work them throughout the day with their regular routine."
With a high turnover rate, Lyons said the department struggles to keep up at the city's more than 200 parks, so it ultimately comes down to personal responsibility.
"At least pick up after yourself," Weeks said. "Keep in mind that this is a kids' area during the day."
Shards of broken glass were still observed near the playground as late as 6 p.m. Thursday.
