ROCK SPRINGS – A recommendation from the Rock Springs Parks and Recreation Board to exclude or hide profanity-laced clothing and tattoos from the Family Recreation Center, Civic Center and Paul J. Wataha Complex was sent back at the Rock Springs City Council meeting Tuesday night.
The motion to send it back to the Rec Board was made after members of the council raised concerns on the vagueness of the recommended policy change. The proposed change will now go back to the Board to add specific details, definitions and clarity.
The recommendation made by the department was to eliminate clothing and hide tattoos that display profanity and inflammatory language. Park and Recreation Department Director Dave Lansang said the policy is an attempt to eliminate “profanity in print.”
Both Rock Springs Mayor Carl Demshar and Lansang gave a little background as to why this recommendation was made. Both said the department and the city have received numerous calls from concerned parents about their children being subjected to this.
“This is not an attempt to control what type of Zumba pants you wear.” – Rock Springs Mayor Carl Demshar.
Councilman Rob Zotti raised concerns about the proposal, specifically pointing to leaving the decision of what is and what is not considered offensive to staff. He said there is not a clear definition of what would be considered obscene and added he sees issues with the consistency and enforcement of the policy as is.
Councilman David Halter also raised the same concerns.
During the petitions section of the meeting, there were no public comments made on the issue. During the debate, one gentleman was allowed to speak on the issue. He said he wanted to hear more about the proposed change and had the same concerns that it was unclear and would be left up to interpretation.
During the discussion, both Zotti and Demshar spoke about the attention this issue received on Facebook and some of the comments made on the issue. Zotti said after reading all the comments made and inviting the public to come and speak about the issue at the meeting, he was disappointed no one showed up to voice these concerns.
Zotti did point to one comment made on Facebook about obscene music playing over the system at the facilities. He said if they are going to look at the issue of clothing and tattoos, the city should also watch what is being played at the centers.
After the debate, the council unanimously passed a motion to send the proposal back to the Parks and Recreation Board to make the policy more specific. Councilwoman Glennise Wendorff asked Lansang how the board would do this.
Lansang said they would probably have to come up with some sort of a list of what would be considered obscene and inflammatory. Zotti said he hated to be so “nit-picky” but believed it needs to be defined better. He added anytime he deals with recommendations like this, he is concerned the council could do something which could impact the city five to ten years down the road.
Lansang said he will have staff work with the board to define the proposal better. The next Rock Springs Parks and Recreation Board meeting is on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at Rock Springs City Hall.