Vandalism harms $2 million effort to improve St. John parks
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, October 28, 2015
- Graffiti pictured at Belle Point Park was reported to the Sheriff’s Office last week. Two gazebos are included in plans for Belle Pointe Park improvement, as is a fitness station, new play surface for the two existing play sets and a new play set with softile play surface.
LAPLACE — Four parks in St. John the Baptist Parish have been the victims of vandalism since the Parish began a $2 million enhancement project on local parks and recreational spaces.
St. John the Baptist Parish leaders and parks supporters were all smiles in July during a ground breaking ceremony highlighting the $2 million renovation project.
Thomas F. Daley Memorial Park, Belle Pointe Park, Regala Park and Cambridge Park have all been vandalized since August, according to St. John Communications Director Paige Falgoust.
Vulgar phrases and pictures have been drawn on new play sets and in freshly poured cement, on-site construction equipment has been damaged and staffers found one project defecated on during the cement process.
“At two of the parks, whenever the concrete was being poured for the new play sets, people were drawing vulgar drawings and different words into the concrete,” Falgoust said. “Another park, they had a new play set was installed and someone wrote with black marker all sorts of vulgar things. People were writing graffiti on brand new play equipment. One of the parks, someone went to the bathroom on the new concrete.
Falgoust said someone also shot paintballs at an excavator that crew members were using in the renovation.
In all, Falgoust said the project has suffered $6,000 in damages due to the vandalism.
“Now the contractors are going to have to take time to fix everything,” Falgoust said. “It’s time that is not necessary. It’s wasted time for them to have to go back and redo something that was already put in. Wasted time is ultimately wasted tax dollars.”
Sgt. Dane Clement said St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators are pursuing criminal damage to property charges following reports filed by contractors working park renovation.
The Regala Park contractor reported Oct. 14 that some freshly poured concrete was written into, and separate report was filed Thursday at Belle Pointe Park indicating the location was the victim of graffiti.
No suspects have been identified.
“We encourage anybody in the community that does have information regarding these incidents to go ahead and call our tip line at 985-359-TIPS,” Clement said.
The vandalism has been frustrating to parish leaders who touted the project this summer as providing many new recreation features for local residents, especially children.
“As for improvements, we are getting new play sets at Regala and Thomas F. Daley Park,” Falgoust said. “We are getting a spray park, which is something new. Thomas F. Daley is also getting a dog park. A couple of the parks are getting new play sets like swings and things. New gazebos are also being added.
“There are a lot of people who take care of the parks, like people who go to the parks everyday. They use the equipment, and it’s not fair for those kids and residents who do want to use those parks.”
The recent bout with vandalism hits home with LaPlace resident Paula Wilking. A park in LaPlace is named after her daughter, Stephanie “Nikki” Wilking.
Nikki died at 17 of bacterial meningitis. However, before the illness took her, Nikki founded “Kids for Kops,” a local group of young people dedicated to raise money to provide bullet proof vests for officers in St. John the Baptist Parish.
When the park first opened, it was also the victim of vandalism. Thankfully, improvement efforts are underway.
With the improvements, the park received a gazebo, picnic table, softile play surface to go along with two existing play sets.
“I’m praying and keeping my fingers crossed that it will stay pretty,” Paula Wilking said. “It just breaks my heart to know that there are people out there who would deface something that means so much to somebody.”
Wilking said it was nice to know Parish leaders care so much to push for park improvements.
“I don’t think it should be the place of the Parish to fix something that they had already spend millions of dollars to build for the people of St. John to enjoy,” she said. “I think they need to catch the people that are doing it and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. If they are kids, I think they should make the parents make the kids pay it back, not the parish.
“Not only are (the vandals) using tax money, they are taking away a piece of people’s hearts. They are taking away the smiles and the happiness the parks were put there to make.”
By Raquel Derganz Baker
