DROP BOX PUT IN PARK

Kamloops was the first city in the province to get a needle drop box, and
now it has two.

The first drop box was installed about one month ago on the wall outside
the Street Clinic on Lansdowne Street.

Because of its success, another has been quietly installed at the west end
of Riverside Park outside the men's washroom.

About a week ago the city's parks department installed the $250 metal
canister, says parks operation supervisor Ernie Kidd. Riverside Park, he
adds, is one of the worst spots in the city for finding used needles,
especially in the shrubs and flower beds.

"We're going to use it as a pilot project," says parks manager Dave Hilton.

The other major problem area is on the North Shore, in the Mackenzie Avenue
and Yew Street area.

Parks worker Linda Woodbury, whose job it was Monday afternoon to check the
box and dispose of the contents, says the needle drop off boxes will work
well for people who find used needles and don't know what to do with them.

However, Kidd says he's hoping those using the needles will dispose of them
properly so others don't have to worry about it.

"It's more for the user. We're hoping they'll put them in the box rather
than put them in all of the flower beds and shrubs."

Meanwhile, Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association manager
Patrick Lindsay says his association may decide to add another drop box in
the downtown.

While it hasn't been formally discussed with members, Lindsay says, another
drop box may be located in the 400 block of Nicola, near St. Paul's Cathedral.

"We don't want them all over the place, but we want to put them where
they're going to be used."