City Councilors Ayn Hanselmann and Pete Tranchemontagne, Dr. Bill Brink and Mayor Becky Brink enjoy coffee and donuts at Frannie’s Mini Donuts after cleaning up trash and discarded needles at Central Park and Washington Street Apartments.
Photo: Caitlin Hanselmann
By Kendra Williams
In response to several complaints about trash and discarded needles at Central Park and Washington Street Apartments, City Councilors Ayn Hanselmann and Pete Tranchemontagne, along with Dr. Bill Brink and Mayor Becky Brink, took the time last Sunday morning to clean up those areas. Mayor Brink shared that they picked up one bag of trash which included three discarded needles. She said, she “was amazed there weren’t more needles.”
For several years, state law required a one-to-one exchange of a used needle for a new one. Due to users’ limited access to a syringe service, the restrictions were temporarily loosened during the Covid epidemic to provide 100 clean needles at a time for every one returned. The loosened restrictions were permanently continued in 2022. The rationale was to reduce the risk of HIV outbreaks in communities. The current syringe return service in Sanford is at 840 Main St.
Since that time, there have been complaints of numerous discarded needles in parks and other public areas throughout Sanford and Springvale causing public safety concerns. However, Maine Center for Disease Control Director Dr Puthiery VA and others warned that a one-to-one exchange would be detrimental to public health and would also not address the public health concerns. Despite their warnings and advocacy for installing sharps disposal boxes in the community instead, the Sanford City Council disagreed.
Last November, an emergency ordinance was passed by the Council to be effective for 91 days after which they could decide to pass a permanent ordinance. At their February 18 meeting, a public hearing was held and the first of two readings to adopt a permanent ordinance to regulate syringe service programs to a one-to-one exchange within the City of Sanford took place. After the second reading at their March 4 meeting, the permanent ordinance was unanimously adopted by the Council.
Mayor Brink said she is “extremely pleased that the new one-to-one needle exchange ordinance is helping to keep our parks clean by reducing the number of discarded needles.”
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