The Village of Fraser Lake has seen growing vandalism at the White Swan Park and are asking for people’s cooperation in finding those responsible.
The village posted on their Facebook page, photos of the destroyed property and details on the incident.
The post informed the public that officials have discovered things like signage being spray painted or torn down and thrown in the lake, toilet paper and paper towel dispensers set on fire or kicked off the walls.
On June 21, the picnic shelter and picnic tables were found burnt, the washroom exterior lights were ripped off and the building was damaged.
The damages have cost $10, 000 already this year and that doesn’t even include the staff’’s time to clean and make those repairs.
The post sparked a lot of responses from the community who were “disgusted” or disappointed by the incidents. Candace Eisert, who grew up in the village and often visits the place was shocked by the incident. “This breaks my heart. I grew up in Fraser Lake. My dad still lives there. Really bummed me out to see the vandalism happening. I wish whoever is doing this would realize how lucky they are to have access to these places and appreciate it while they’re still living there and not destroy it,” she said.
The White Swan Park however is not the only place to get hit by these vandals this year; the arena and the skateboard park and ball diamond washrooms have also been disfigured by vandals, said Mayor Sarrah Storey when speaking with the Lakes District News.
“This happens in every community but in a small community you notice it more. We are a tight knit community so we want to remind the youth to take care of the public property. We want to also remind the parents that we know this happens in phases but it has gotten more severe. So, talk to your youth and teens about how important it is to take care and pride in your community. It is just a reminder,” she said, adding that the village will soon be putting out some cameras in the areas where the vandalism has happened “and so we are hoping that will reduce such incidents.”
The Fraser Lake RCMP is aware of these incidents and the village is urging people to come forward with any information or in case they see something suspicious.
Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar
priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net
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