The Newington Parks and Recreation Department is seeing an uptick in vandalism at parks in town and they're looking to take action to combat it.
Town officials say they've learned of several incidents involving spray paint, which is sprawled on the new exercise equipment at Clem Lemire Park.
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WATCH HERESpray paint also stretches across the new handicap accessible playground, and vandals spray painted the skate park, outdoor fitness equipment at Mill Pond Park, and electrical boxes at the baseball fields.
The town's parks and recreation department said police have caught minors destroying picnic tables, swings, and slides at the park, as well as tipping over portable toilets.
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SIGN UP In addition to this, people have been driving vehicles on park and school grounds, causing thousands of dollars of turf damage. A decorative water fountain at Mill Pond Park was also broken in the park's sensory garden, town officials said.
"Oftentimes, this senseless vandalism costs tax payers thousands of dollars. Many staff hours go toward purchasing the correct graffiti remover, applying the materials, and scrubbing off the spray paint. When a playground is vandalized today, the replacement cost is thousands of dollars more than when it was purchased years ago. This causes all kinds of budget problems, since vandalism is very hard to predict and budget for," said Superintendent of Newington Parks and Recreation Bill DeMaio.
The department said they're committed to maintaining the beauty and safety of town parks.
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Anyone who wishes to report suspicious activity is asked to call police at 860-666-8445. You're asked to contact police when the vandalism happens.
The Newington Parks and Recreation Department and police are working together to investigate these reports of vandalism.
