Park vandalism disrupts summer fun

photo by clare jensen

SEVERAL ACTS OF VANDALISM HAVE OCCURRED AT EDGEMONT PARK THIS YEAR, MOST NOTABLY IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO TWO OF THE SLIDES AT THE PARK. The city is looking to the citizens to help keep an eye on the parks and keep vandalism from occurring.

An influx of vandalism this year will likely put a damper on summer fun at Edgewood’s only active park.

Two of the slides at Edgemont Park have been intentionally damaged beyond repair.

Both slides will need to be replaced before they can be used, and at upwards of $3,500 a pop, the city may not be able to foot the bill any time soon.

“Currently there are no funds budgeted to fix the slides,” Finance Director Janet Caviezel said. “We always budget a little for repairs, but we don’t have enough to fix both of the slides.”

The first slide was vandalized on March 15, and the slide was only part of the damage bestowed upon the park that day. Vandals also clogged the sinks with paper and left the water running, causing the restrooms to flood, and dog feces was smeared on the walls.

During this incident, a police officer was patrolling the park area and viewed the suspect at the scene. He was arrested, but in the other recent cases, no one has been able to identify the perpetrators.

“The police can’t be everywhere at all times,” Police Chief Ed Knutson said. “We solved the first one because an officer happened to be going to check on the park and saw three kids leaving.”

The second slide was damaged on May 11 and no suspects were witnessed. Both slides have since been closed indefinitely for use.

Since then, a window has been broken at the Nelson Nature Park and most recently a soap dispenser was torn off the wall in Edgemont’s men’s restroom.

“It’s been something that’s been a consistent topic at our meetings,” Parks and Recreation Advisory Board member Brian Levenhagen said.  “Vandalism at parks is one of those things that there’s no easy solution.”

Because police staff are unable to keep a regular watch on park activity, the city and parks board are looking to the community to keep an eye on destructive behavior at public properties.

“We want to get the community involved and get the people who live around the park to keep an eye out. We’ve been trying to figure out a way to get the community more aware of what’s going on and get the neighbors a little more invested in the parks,” Levenhagen said.

A couple ideas the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has discussed are reaching out to the neighboring Edgemont Junior High School to alert them of the problem, and also hold community input meetings at the park.

“Edgemont Park is Edgewood’s only active recreation other than the school facilities,” Levenhagen said. “It makes it that much more important that we keep it fixed.”

The city urges citizens to report any information they may have regarding the recent acts of vandalism by calling (253) 798-4721. To report a crime in progress or suspicious activity, such as people in the parks after dusk, call 911.

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