Here’s Kennewick’s answer to homeless camps and fires in Zintel Canyon

Kennewick officials say they’re committed to cleaning up Zintel Canyon after nine fires blackened 10 acres of the popular walking area this year.

City officials outlined specific plans this week for improving safety in the 65-acre mostly natural area in the center of town.

They told about 50 people gathered Wednesday night they will be trimming trees, increasing police patrols and removing homeless camps.

Safety concerns in Zintel Canyon have grown this year after several homes were threatened by a series of fires between April and September.

While the city manages the park, some of the property is owned by a patchwork of agencies, including the irrigation district and Benton PUD.

After the summer’s disastrous wild fire that destroyed five homes on the south side of the city, Kennewick officials formed a Hazard Mitigation team that aims to decrease the risk to people living at the edge of natural areas.

Zintel Canyon is one of their first targets, said city spokeswoman Evelyn Lusignan.

They are applying the lessons they learned from the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise program. The global nonprofit developed recommendations to help people living in transition zones.

The first goal is to cut down low-hanging limbs that can carry fire on the ground into the trees and to widen the Spirit of America Trail so fire trucks can get to fires deeper in the canyon.

“This helps because we can get to the fires faster and we can keep them in the canyon,” Kennewick Capt. Brian Ellis said. “There’s a lot of dead fuel that’s down there. There are a lot of trees that are against the slopes.”

The suggestion raised some concerns from the crowd that the canyon might simply become another manicured park.

The city officials promised they weren’t going to remove the character of the area, but they want to make it safer.

They also plan to make cuts through the overgrowth to provide more access into the thick underbrush.

The first clean-up event is planned at 9 a.m. Nov. 10.

Kennewick parks officials are looking for volunteers to help put down wood chips and gravel on dustier parts of the trail, as well as clean up graffiti.

City officials also have a new plan for discouraging overnight camping in Zintel Canyon.

A change in the city’s administrative code earlier this year allows officials to establish zones where homeless camps can be quickly cleaned up, said Commander Chris Guerrero.

Normally when police come across a camp, officer are required to leave a notice, giving people three days to move their stuff. With the change, the city can remove the camp immediately.

In many of the cases, once a camp is cleared away the same people don’t show up again, Guerrero said.

The most recent blazes have attracted the attention of police investigators as well. Guerrero said they are sending at least one patrol through the canyon each night.

While they do have some suspects who may have started the fires, no one has been arrested.

He called on the people at the meeting to participate in making sure the canyon is safe.

“We’re not going to be able to do what we want to be able to do without you,” he said. “You guys are vital to all of this.”

Jeff Wiens, who tried earlier this summer to lead a community effort to clean up the park, said the city’s efforts are already paying off.

“I’ve noticed a big difference in the past couple of months,” he told the Herald.