Point Defiance Park extends early closures, saying it prompts feelings of safety
Early closures for Point Defiance Park will be extended for another week. An increase in gun violence, including one Saturday night that injured a 9-year-old girl, prompted the initial decision to begin closing the park earlier than usual.
Point Defiance Park will continue the 8:30 p.m. closures until July 23. Metro Parks Tacoma began closing the park early on July 9 and had planned to continue doing so through July 16. The parks normal hours are sunrise to sunset.
“We are extending the early closure time another week because the measure seems to have had a positive impact on the feeling of safety,” said Stacia Glenn, a Metro Parks spokeswoman in an email Friday.
The decision was made after of feedback from social media and public comments and messages, Glenn said. Metro Parks had announced the closure on its Twitter and Facebook feeds.
The July 9 Point Defiance Park Facebook post announcing the closure has more than 40 likes and more than a dozen comments.
Along with the early closures, Point Defiance plans to increase security, Glenn said, including extra cameras at the Pearl Street entrance of the park.
You can find alerts of closures and other Metro Park Tacoma information at the Metro Parks website.
