Mariner's Park vandalism adds to cost, delays playground project

Work has been delayed and the cost to install
the new playground surface is going up after
three vandalism incidents at the Mariner's Park
Children's playground construction site
(photo from PR Lions Club Facebook page)

Another report of vandalism in the community is making news this week and this time it's affecting a high profile project at Mariner's Park.

The extent of the damage to the new play ground at Mariner's was detailed In an information release issued by the City of Prince Rupert on Wednesday, with the city making note that the new rubber surface at the construction site had been vandalized and now require repair and replacement.

According to the city's notice, this is third and most significant incident of vandalism at the project site since it was closed to the public in September.

When added up, the three incidents have resulted in over $15,000 in additional cost to the project and delayed the work of contractors that were hired to work on the site.

That vandalism has also resulted in delays for other communities, as the Vancouver contractors have had to adjust their schedule to continue to work on the Rupert site.

Richard Pucci, the City of Prince Rupert's Director of Operations expressed the disappointment that the city has as a result of the ongoing incidents.

“This project is the result of many community partners coming together to build a park that is accessible for kids of all abilities,”  ...  “It’s obviously very disappointing to see something like this happen.”

Among those community partners is the Prince Rupert Lions club, which took the lead in community fundraising to revitalize the downtown park.

To address the issue, the City is in the process of adding additional security measures to protect the site from further incidents. The City is also asking for the assistance of the public should they have any information related to the three previous incidents.

The City is asking for the assistance of the public in a case of vandalism
at the construction site for the city's refurbished playground at Mariner's Park

If you have any information on the incidents, or witnessed  any unusual behaviour in the park area on the evening of October 17th, you are encouraged to contact the local RCMP at 250-627-0700

More background on the Mariner's Park incidents can be reviewed here.

A look at the project can be found below:

Mariner's Park Meccano Set ..
Ahoy ye Matye's, there be progress at the Playground
Every project needs a sign! Work set to begin at Pacific Mariner's Park playground
Mariner's Park playground renewal project set for September start


More notes related to City of Prince Rupert items and issues can be found on our Council Discussion page.

For a look at the work of Police and other Emergency response officials in the region see our archive here.