A play structure adjacent to the splash pad at Rockmosa park has been reopened after it was temporarily closed last week due to vandalism.
“It is a large guard from one of the upper platform decks,” Guelph-Ermama director of parks and recreation Robin Milne told the Advertiser.
The structure reopened on June 24 with a temporary panel in place.
Milne explained the guard, which measures about four feet by six feet, was “forcefully pried out of place,” snapped off and carried away.
Milne said vandals will often leave the remains of the damage on site, “But in this case they actually took it with them.”
The play structure is situated behind the Rockmosa community centre and adjacent to the park’s splash pad.
While it may not look like the guard warranted a closure of the structure, Milne said it’s the age range of children who use the playground that posed the problem. The structure is rated for children 2 to 12 years old.
“[The guard is] really in place for the lower end of that spectrum, the two or the three year old or the toddler that’s kind of navigating the play structure,” he said. “It’s there so that they have something to hold on to so that they don’t just walk right off the upper platform.”
The township was notified of the damage on June 19 when someone saw the “dagger-like” broken metal that remained attached to the structure after the guard was torn off.
Milne said he’s disappointed that something like this happened in the Rockwood community.
“It’s that type of damage that can really hurt the delivery of a parks and rec department to the community,” he said. “If the occurrence was more frequent or this becomes a trend it can really have an impact on the way you operate your budget and your department.”
On June 27, Milne said, “a permanent replacement piece has been sourced for fabrication and will be ready for installation in four to six weeks.” The temporary panel installation and the permanent replacement panel is costing the township approximately $1,200, Milne said.
Anyone with information can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip at www.csgw.tips.
