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Butte wants to address vandalism problem at city parks

Posted at 10:17 AM, Jul 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-23 12:17:11-04

BUTTE – Vandalism is always a problem at Butte’s parks, but it seems worse at Clark Park.

“At least once a week we have an issue down here,” said Parks and Recreation Director JP Gallagher.

The damage is almost everywhere you look.

“We’ve had our historic gazebos that came from the Columbia Gardens where they’ve gone on top of the roofs, ripped off the shingles, we’ve had the bathrooms vandalized where they’ve ripped the plumbing out of the walls,” said Gallagher.

There have even been complaints of rowdy groups of young people loitering and intimidating people at the park.

Park officials organized a public meeting at the park this week to address some of these issues and feedback from the public is welcome.

“Give us some ideas, you know, we’re open to any suggestions that come about down here,” said Gallagher.

Some of the vandalism can still be seen at Clark Park, like the damage done to the pavilion where somebody took a sledgehammer to the brickwork.

“In a monetary standpoint we’ve lost, there’s been over $40,000 in damages over the last four years,” he said.

Officials want city parks to be places for good, clean fun.

The public is invited to the meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., at the Clark Park pavilion near the volleyball court off Texas Avenue.

-John Emeigh reporting for MTN News