Some vandals went on a bit of a spree in Nipissing Township.
The target? Within Heritage Park at 14 Blake Street in Nipissing Township, there stands a rink shack, a convenient amenity which offers a washroom and a changing area for skaters. There is also a large stainless-steel fridge within the rink shack, and this is what the vandals set upon.
BayToday reached out to Kris Croskery-Hodgins, Nipissing Township’s Chief Administrative Officer, who explained, “The fridge contained bottled water and freezies in the freezer which we sell at the soccer program and during community events in the park.”
The contents are under lock and key, however, Croskery-Hodgins noted, “The locks were broken off and the contents of the fridge were spilled and spread around the rink shack. The damages are minimal, and the locks and lock frames can be replaced.”
The fridge was locked by two padlocks, the hasps attached to the fridge’s doors and the white wall beside. One lock on top, one near the bottom – both broken to reveal the booty within.
The township posted a photo of the damaged locks on its social media page to make the people aware of the incident, and ideally, prevent further damage.
Croskery-Hodgins noted, “The post was made to bring awareness to the community about the issue and hopefully stop the events. This is our first issue in many years.”
The township didn’t feel the issue warranted a call to the police, but Croskery-Hodgins noted, “If the issues continue or escalate, we will be involving them.”
On a brighter note, Croskery-Hodgins detailed, “The ice is in great shape, and we see many people out there using the rink this year, which is really great to see. We hope that everyone continues to respect the facility and enjoy it.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.