The City of Wenatchee has officially expanded upon an ordinance it passed earlier this year which prohibits overnight camping at its parks and other properties.

City Administrator, Laura Gloria, says the expanded ordinance went into effect today (Oct. 31) and will extend the municipality's scope of enforcement.

"The initial ordinance covered City-owned or -leased properties but it did not cover managed or operated properties. So the new ordinance now gives us the power to cover those properties where under the former ordinance we didn't have the ability to enact the same camping regulations."

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The onus for the expansion was the continued presence of homeless encampments in an area at the west end of the Sen. George Sellar Bridge adjacent to State Route 285, which is owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation but managed by the City.

Several weeks ago, City officials performed an initial sweep of the area to prepare it for the installation of fencing designed to protect against vandalism and trespassing on both City- and State-owned property.

The newly-expanded ordinance will give the City the authority needed to permanently prevent overnight camping at the property, and it's expected that actions will be taken to fully clear the area in the coming days.

Gloria says it will also aide in making certain that homeless encampments don't spring up in other areas within the city.

"For example, Hale Park was a real challenge for us. There were people who were camping on the shoreline, which is incredibly dangerous due to that location being just adjacent to the Columbia River where water levels can fluctuate rapidly and weather conditions can also create many hazards. So that shoreline area is something that we'll continue to be actively watching because it's just not a safe place for anyone to be."

Gloria says City officials are confident their recently-enacted strategies will be effective at both combating the problems that homeless encampments pose for residents and City infrastructure, and connected those in need with vital services.

She adds the City's newly-hired Homeless Response Administrator, Joshua Mathena, will play a critical role in the process by immediately responding to anyone who is found in violation of the City's camping bans and connecting them with necessary assistance.

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