ATHABASCA — The vandalism at Centennial Park across the river is becoming so intolerable the Town of Athabasca is looking at ways to help a non-profit by offering rewards for tips which lead to convictions.
The popular spot is donated and maintained by the Athabasca Lion’s Club who are on the hook for the damage that occurs, and there has been a lot of damage over the past few years. From a visitor’s sign-in book which was destroyed to a broken port-a-potty door that cost the club $700 to replace; there have also been numerous broken toilet seats, overturned planters, and now damage to items which are deemed irreplaceable.
“It really, really rips your heart to shreds when you see a whole chunk of a tree just torn off because someone was jumping on or hanging off it,” said Lion’s Club member Mike MacLean in a Sept. 7 interview. “I went up to look yesterday evening to see if I could find the little cast bronze bracket that we're still missing.”
The bronze brackets are one-of-a-kind and were paid for with donated money.
“The pieces were cast at Wilderness Castings and the owner is gone and the foundry is gone,” said MacLean. “So, those pieces, once they're gone, they're gone forever.”
It’s frustrating and he says it makes him wonder about what drives people to wreck a beautiful public area, noting whoever is doing it has access to a ride to the other side of the river.
“There's just something really insidious about the whole thing and … if they don't care about this, they don't care about destroying property, it’s just a bad sign,” MacLean said. “Do they grow up and grow out of it?”
The club has also considered offering a reward for tips about who the vandals are, but the recurring costs of fixing everything makes it feel like throwing good money after bad, so they are thankful Coun. Edie Yuill mentioned it during the Sept. 6 Town of Athabasca council meeting.
“I’d like to make a motion to offer a $200 reward for information leading to a conviction,” said Yuill.
The motion was changed to direct administration to work with RCMP to see if a reward could be given within running into privacy issues.
“Someone knows someone who's doing this and (hopefully) will just say, ‘Hey, stop, this is not necessary,’” said MacLean. “If you're angry redirect your anger. Learn to do something with your anger besides smashing up stuff at the park. It just is ridiculous.”
Council asked CAO Rachel Ramey to urge CPO Brian Bandura and local RCMP to make a few more patrols of the area to try and deter the vandals until more permanent solutions can be determined.
“This has taken its toll and it'll be a shame if that park just declines to the point where it's easier to just not have it,” said MacLean.
