By James Sword, HANC Board
San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (RPD) has banned sand. After following this policy secretly for an unknown amount of time, it has finally become public. The ban of sand was not stated during either of two public meetings held about the Panhandle Playground (PP), and was only brought to light when specifically asked about by members of HANC. Through various email conversations with RPD, the reason for a sand ban has changed from accessibility, to maintenance, and finally RPD settled on safety.
Through media outlets, a RPD spokesperson clarified “safety” concerns why sand is banned as cat feces, needles, and glass (maintenance). According to Lenore Skenazy, author, blogger and star of TV show “World’s Worst Mom,” the fear that cats are using America’s playgrounds as litter boxes is an urban myth. As a regular PP visitor over the last 3 years, I have found broken glass once, and never a needle or poop.