Recent vandalism causes Fayetteville park bathroom closures
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Gordon Long, Bryce Davis and Walker parks in Fayetteville have all recently had their bathrooms vandalized causing closures.
Gordon Long and Bryce Davis parks have reopened after graffiti vandals tagged them, but Walker Park’s bathroom near the skate park will remain closed for an unknown period of time after its locks were broken off.
“We’re talking thousands of dollars of repair and ordering the parts,” Byron Humphry, Fayetteville’s park operations director, said. “That’s when the facility gets taken out for a length of time.”
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Humphry said this isn’t a new occurrence, either. He said vandalism happens “all the time,” and in extreme cases, like vulgar language in graffiti or destruction to property, the city’s last resort is to close the bathroom to the public.
Some park users aren’t happy their bathroom option is taken away by vandals.
“It’s upsetting that they have a park here, and they have a bathroom that is visibly there, but it’s never open,” Dylan Link, who rides his bike at the nearby skate park, said. “We spend four or five hours on the weekends at least, and you have to use the bathroom some time. And, you have to go to Walgreen’s or the gas station up the road. We’re 20 feet from it.”
The bathroom at Gordon Long Park is along the Razorback Greenway, so when it’s closed, bathroom options for trail users are fewer and more far between.
“That’s why we try and be proactive with our social media, letting the department know, so they can get the word out there,” Humphry said. “Just so you can know as you plan your exercise.”
When vandalism happens, Humphry says the city always files a police report. Fayetteville police say it is difficult to track down suspects who commit random acts of vandalism, as opposed to targeted acts.
After a vandalism report is filed, police say officers go to the scene of the crime, document the crime and try to identify potential pieces of evidence at the scene. Police collect and process evidence, then attempt to track down witnesses, review surveillance footage and attempt to put together a timeline of events to try and catch a vandalism suspect.
If you witness someone committing an act of vandalism at a city park or trail, Humphry says to contact the police. There is also a SeeClickFix app where people can report the location of where damage has occurred, which is then put in the city’s work log.
Humphry said park vandals impact more than just the city and its employees.
“It’s all the public. Those are publicly owned facilities,” Humphry said. “We’re all going to suffer for it.”
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