Eureka City Council to hear update on needle disposal kiosk installation

EUREKA – Eureka City Council will hear an update on efforts to cut down on what some describe as an alarming increase in discarded needles in public places.
“Any time you have a proliferation of needles that can communicate disease the city has an interest in trying to protect the public from that type of problem,” City Manager Greg Sparks said.
Following up on discussions at November’s opioid town hall and other public meetings, Eureka Police and Humboldt County Public Health officials will report on ongoing efforts to install needle disposal kiosks.
Staff will seek guidance from council since some of the sites being considered are on city property. The item is informational only so no formal action will be taken, but City Manager Greg Sparks said all options are on the table.
“We want a system that number one starts to cut down on how many needles are out there in the first place,” Sparks said, “but then secondly easy disposal options and from the city’s standpoint if a resident calls us or a business calls us and they have needles on the street or on the public right of way we’ll come out and take care of it.”
The meeting starts at 6:00p.m. Tuesday night at Eureka City Hall.
For a closer look at other items on the agenda, follow these links to our previous stories on potential new housing for seniors (http://kiem-tv.com/2017/11/29/another-affordable-senior-housing-project-coming-eureka/), funding options for Sequoia Park Zoo’s Master Plan (http://kiem-tv.com/2017/12/14/sequoia-park-zoo-seeks-funding-master-plan-redwood-canopy-walk/), and the possibility of a revised strategy for Eureka’s long awaited Waterfront development (http://kiem-tv.com/2017/12/05/eureka-waterfront-development-worth-wait/).