Vandalism is costing Windsor taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
James Chacko, the Executive Director of Parks and Facilities for the City of Windsor, said his department spent $350,000 last year cleaning up vandalism in local parks and other public spaces, and so far, it might spend the same this year.
Like his counterpart in Tecumseh, Chacko said vandalism spiked during the pandemic. It might be too early to say it will continue to rise this year, but the number of incidents hasn't fallen.
"I think 2023 is likely on a similar level to the previous two or three years. We may not see an increase from 2022 to 2023, but still, we haven't seen a decrease yet," he said.
He anticipates the city will spend the same this year cleaning up after those who spray-paint public amenities, destroy park washrooms, deface benches, and tear up municipal gardens.
"We're certainly always hopeful that we'll see some reductions as we continue to work on educational matters. We have our Windsor Police Auxillary patrols. We have our parks staff in the parks, so certainly we hope that we will see decreases," he added.
Beth Gignac, Tecumseh's Director of Community and Recreation Services, said her municipality is spending $150,000 to replace a wooden boardwalk in Lakewood Park North with a concrete path simply because it's inflammable.
"We're really disappointed that some folks in our community continue to think that public amenities are open targets," she said.
Vandalism in Lakeshore parks. (Photo courtesy of the Municipality of Lakeshore)
It's a problem across the county and North America.
While the cost might represent just one per cent of the city's $28-million parks budget, Chacko said it's preventable.
"The unfortunate reality is that's money we can't spend on something else within our parks and facilities," he said.
Chacko believes most perpetrators are teenagers and young adults, but not all. Some washrooms were stripped of copper wiring and tubing, an act that requires some skill. Very few incidents involve hateful or obscene graffiti, but he said parks staff work quickly to clean it up.
The public can help. Chacko urged residents to report vandalism and damage when they see it by calling the Windsor Police, calling 311, or using the 311 app. He also encouraged people to get into the parks, adding vandals don't like to work with a crowd watching.
