Vandals damage Middleton properties
Vandals have broken a concrete chess/ checkers table at Centennial Park in Middleton and done damage at the railway museum in town.
“We’re disappointed,” said Dave Hankinson, chairperson of the Middleton Railway Museum. “We’re building something that is pretty special for the community.”
Workers doing renovations at the museum noticed the damage April 17. A window was broken and someone tried unsuccessfully to get into one of the industrial engines. While the damage was limited, the vandalism is annoying, Hankinson said.
“It is annoying that you can’t bring something to the community and have everybody appreciate it because of a few people.”
Park staff noticed the damage at Centennial Park while doing their morning rounds April 18.
“We’re no strangers to vandalism,” said director of recreation and community development Andy Kerr.
He estimated the table would have cost about $2,000 to install as part of a larger project at the park. The town did receive a healthy communities grant from the provincial government to assist with the initial cost.
“We’re not the only ones that have vandalism,” Kerr said, “but it has a bigger effect, I think, on a smaller community because we have less resources to use to bounce back.”
Many times, the vandalism is less than the deductible in the town’s insurance policy, so the municipality has to find the money somewhere within its budget to do the repairs.
Kerr said it also has an impact on staff morale as they care about the amenities the town has and repairing the damage takes them away from other projects.
Town officials have taken the tabletop into its workshop to let it warm up. It will test some adhesives for concrete to see if it can be repaired and safely returned to the park.
Kerr said they have been asking community members to keep an eye out for vandalism and report it to the appropriate departments.
Annapolis District RCMP are aware of both incidents and are investigating. Anyone with information can contact them or Crime Stoppers.