It could be several weeks before extensive damage to the main field and the hills near the beach parking lots at Canatara Park are repaired.
The preliminary damage estimate is $5,000 after a vehicle tore up portions of the popular park overnight on Friday, April 7.
Sarnia Parks and Recreation Director Rob Harwood says it'll probably be a few weeks before they can get equipment in to remediate the area because the ground is too soft.
He says they'll be meeting with police this week to discuss security.
"Unfortunately it's a big open space and it's very difficult for the police to monitor it 24 hours a day," says Harwood. "We are going to be meeting with the police on Wednesday morning to discuss some further security options in the park, so we're hoping we can come up with some way to engage everybody in the community to try to help us out to curb this kind of activity."
Harwood says putting gates across park entrances would restrict emergency vehicles from getting into the park or having alternate access to Sandy Lane.
Sarnia Police Constable John Sottosanti says they believe there was a single vehicle involved, an SUV of some type, but the tire marks are blurred out due to the wet soil conditions.
He says the public's help is needed to catch the person responsible.
"These individuals that commit these idiotic acts, to put it simply, aren't going to do anything when we're around," says Sottosanti. "They take the opportune moments when nobody is around and do their damage and it only takes a matter of ten to 15 minutes for them to do what they did."
Anyone with information is asked to call city police or Crime Stoppers.
-With files from Stephanie Chaves
