Park vandals to pay restitution for aquatic center damage

Vandalism at local parks isn’t anything new. Wide-open spaces offer nocturnal visitors vast opportunity to carry out their nefarious activities under the cover of darkness.

Catching them is never easy what with the vandalism almost exclusively occurring during nighttime hours with little or no surveillance efforts possible and no supervision immediately at hand.

Yet two young vandals recently met their Waterloo after causing damage at the Greencastle Aquatic Center.

Park Director Rod Weinschenk told the Park Board about the incident and its rare outcome at the board’s November meeting.

“I was subpoenaed to court this past month into Judge (Matt) Headley’s courtroom to provide information into the vandalism we received at the aquatics center this past summer,” Weinschenk said.

Two young vandals pushed several “deck amenities into the pool,” Weinschenk noted in his report.

The pair also broke two security lights in the concessions area.

They were reportedly caught when one of the vandals bragged about the incident and gave up the other perpetrator in the process.

The older of the two vandals reportedly has a history of causing problems in the park.

The two juveniles will split responsibility for approximately $824 in restitution to offset damage to park equipment and cover the cost of employee time in cleaning up the mess they caused.

Meanwhile, Weinschenk also reported that the two back entrance gates at Robe-Ann Park as well as the main entrance to Jaycee Park have been locked for the winter.

The main gate to Robe-Ann off Bloomington Street remains open, although it will be closed with each snowfall as the park roads are not plowed by the Street Department.

Although the gates are locked the parks are still accessible to foot traffic, Weinschenk noted.

In other business, the Park Board:

• Heard Weinschenk report that American Clean and Seal has completed its work stripping, painting, caulking and relining the pool basin. Total cost of $32,970 is being covered by EDIT funds in the Mayor’s Budget. “From the street the pool looks really nice,” Park Board member John Hennette commented.

• Heard DePauw University Bonner Scholar Ja’el Thomas announce plans for a Seasonal Pie Baking Contest fundraiser scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6 at Hoover Dining Hall at DePauw. Three contest categories are Sweet Potato Pie, Key Lime Pie and Fruit Pie with an entry fee of $5 per pie for the first entry and $3 for additional submissions. Registration forms are available at City Hall. More information is available by calling the park office at 653-3395. Slices of pie will be sold at $2 each as part of the fundraiser.

• Received a brief update on the tennis court project, learning that drainage tiles and rock have been put in and two levels of asphalt are awaited to complete the work. Weinschenk said he has not heard any official word but expects that due to weather, “we’re probably looking at spring application” of the asphalt.

• Heard Mayor Bill Dory report that the park bond issue will go out for bids Nov. 20 and are due back Dec. 6. “We should have the money in the bank at the end of the first week of December or so,” he added. The $1.6 million bond issue will fund improvements to the aquatics center and Robe-Ann Park.

• Heard Weinschenk report that a possible squatter has been relocated from Jaycee Park after a park crew cleaned up what appeared to be an abandoned camp in the woods on the back side of the park pond.

• Learned that Jaycee Park is the possible home of a family of Bald Eagles after two adults and an eaglet were observed and photographed in a field across from the park.

The next meeting of the Greencastle Board of Park Commissioners is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at City Hall. It will be preceded at 7:15 p.m. by judging of the annual holiday gingerbread house competition and the Santa’s Sleigh Lego contest.

Joining Hennette, Park Director Weinschenk and Mayor Dory for the November meeting were Park Board President Tim Trigg and members Cathy Merrell and Joanna Muncie, along with assistant director Chrysta Snellenberger.