Thoughtlessness

The shape of someone's hibachi has been burned into the grass at Newman Park.

Recently there have been two instances of the consequences of hibachi use on the grass in Newman Park. The most recent and egregious happened this past Labor Day weekend. You can see the result in the picture above.

Nothing is mentioned about hibachi use under park rules for the City of El Paso. The Director of Parks and Recreation, Nanette Smejkal, says that bringing grills to the parks is not prohibited. "Prohibitions are determined by City Council and set forth in Code 13.24."

You would think that common sense would tell anyone to use hibachis or other grills only in the concrete areas – not on the grass!