Painted Rocks In Lawns are a Safety Hazard
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City of Klamath Falls Facebook
Painted Rock, City of Klamath Falls Facebook
The new social media craze of painted rocks looks to be creating a hazard for City of Klamath Falls Parks Staff. Painted rocks have been placed within various parks throughout the City as part of a campaign aimed at encouraging children and families to become more active. It is a hunting-style game where people search for the rocks and then post their discoveries on social media.
While the activity is well intended and encouraged by the City, it is inadvertently creating a safety hazard. We strongly support initiatives which engage children and families in outdoor activities; however, this particular activity does pose a significant safety risk to the public when rocks are left in lawn areas. There is a potential for rocks to be hit by the mowers, and we have already experienced a potentially serious situation when recently mowing, placing park users, staff and nearby residents at risk of serious injury.
While every effort is made to detect and remove safety hazards such as rocks prior to mowing of parks, we are seeking the public’s support to help keep local parks and streets a safe environment. Please feel free to place the rocks at the base of trees, in rocky areas, in other conspicuous areas within our parks but we ask that the public please refrain from placing them in lawn areas where they could be struck by mowers and cause a potential public safety risk.
Please feel free to contact Public Information Administrator Kristina Buckley in City Administration with any questions at (541) 883-5270.
Press release provided from City of Klamath Falls.