05/21/2024
I am extremely disappointed and discouraged to pass along that despite everything short of round-the-clock security, at least two people entered the All Abilities Park sometime after nightfall last night and created $6,000-$7,000 of damage to a portion of the surfacing material that had been installed earlier that day.
It might have been possible for me to believe that this was the work of people who simply hadn’t heard or didn’t understand that the “Keep Out” signs meant to actually keep out, or that the fence with no opening was an intentional effort to protect the park until it was completed. It might have been possible for me to believe that these people didn’t realize the damage they were causing by leaving footsteps in the not-yet cured surfacing. It might have been possible, except for the smiley face that was carved into the material, that kind of suggests that the intent was damage.
Before I say much more, I know that this is a park, and the surfacing is just “stuff” that can and will be replaced. I know that compared to all of the teachers and classified staff who wonder if they’ll have a job soon, this isn’t nearly as important. Even though I’m keeping it in perspective, it is still important nevertheless.
This park, which has been an amazing labor of love and passion for a group of a dozen Rotarians who live the philosophy of Service Above Self, is - by far - the most ambitious effort that our club has ever undertaken.
It has been a three year process of planning, fundraising, and sweat equity, to make a $430k dream a reality for all residents, but especially for those many citizens of all ages who have never experienced what it is to play in a park that allows them to access equipment specially designed to reduce or erase barriers that normally exist in the kind of parks that cities have built for decades.
Many businesses and organizations - our own City first and foremost - and many generous individuals have stood with us through this process, either with their sleeves rolled up, or with their wallets, or both.
I say this because I want to make sure that if the people who did this read social media posts, or maybe if someone who knows them does, that they will have some tiny understanding of what a senseless thing it was that they did.
And if I’m honest? I don’t even wonder why they did it. Sadly I know of too many people, young and old, who live with an unhealthy level of fear, hate, or resentment, for whom damage and destruction is a common outlet for expression. If it was about attention, they’ve succeeded, for the moment.
However, if the point was to somehow say to us “how dare you believe and invest in something so positive, when it is so easy for me to take it away,” then with all due respect, that goal has NOT been achieved.
Do we have an extra $7,000 in our budget to cover the expense of repairing this? Absolutely not - we are at the tail end of this project and everything that remains, such as the memorial bricks, signage, and benches, have already been budgeted and allocated. Any contingency we have is nowhere near the cost of this damage.
But regardless, we are 100% committed to what it takes to finish this project. Period. This act won’t dampen the sense of accomplishment that is shared with much of this community, and it certainly won’t budge us from the dedication of service to others and the effort to relentlessly shine positive energy where it may not normally be.
We would, of course, like to identify those responsible and ensure that they are provided with the appropriate measure of law enforcement that is deserved for this act, but as Rotarians, we would be just as likely to turn around and offer these folks our support in finding better ways to overcome whatever things in their lives would cause them to harm something that doesn’t belong to them.
The surfacing alone, before this damage estimate, is around $135k of the total park cost. It’s a great deal of money for something we will all be walking on soon, but it’s also one of the non-negotiable items that we had while designing the park. Proper surfacing support and access for wheelchair users were always our two top priorities, and something like this is not about to cause us to think critically about those decisions.
This is a setback, both literally and emotionally, but when we start pouring surfacing again later this week, we’ll take new and different steps to protect this project while this stage is completed and we can finally announce that the park is open to use.
Until then, instead of showering these people with the kind of negative attention that is still…..well….attention, please keep your thoughts focused on the joy that this finished park will provide so many children and adults in another week or so.
