Update: Beaufort's Waterfront Park playground vandalized; city has $4,200 repair bill

Vandalism in Beaufort's Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park over the past two weeks caused $4,500 in damage and resulted in part of the playground being closed off.

Someone jumped on the large tube slide coming off of a replica ship, smashing the slide into an oval and causing bolts to pierce the plastic, city parks superintendent Robbie Anderson said Monday. Someone also climbed atop a toddler swing set and broke the welds on a tandem swing for parents and children.

"These are some big people doing this," Anderson said. "This isn't the kids doing this."

In addition, someone destroyed some of the wooden chairs that go with the table in the middle of Waterfront Park.

The money to repair the damage will come from the city's parks budget, Anderson said. The ship could be closed up to four more weeks while waiting on the necessary parts, which are made to order.

That area of the playground is blocked off by fencing similar to what the city uses to close off the park during Water Festival.

The swing was repaired and replaced Monday.

Bolts have had to be replaced in the slide in the past due to normal wear, but this was a clear case of vandalism, Anderson said.

She said vandalism in Waterfront Park is an ongoing issue. Other city parks are spared similar damage, likely because of area homeowners keeping an eye on the property, she said.

Past damage in Waterfront Park has included graffiti and people smashing bathroom toilets with baseball bats and pulling sinks from the wall. Plants have been pulled from the ground and thrown in the water or on downtown streets, Anderson said.

The Beaufort Police Department plans to install security cameras in the park and along Bay Street using accommodations tax funds approved for the measure in October. Attempts to reach a police representative for information on the cameras' timetable or possible investigation on the vandalism were unsuccessful.

News of the vandalism comes after a similar incident in Port Royal, when someone removed a steering wheel from the wooden replica ship in the town's new playground and trash was found throughout the area.

The town responded by closing the adjacent skate park until trash in the area was cleaned up, a move Anderson said she applauded.

"Personally, I think we ought to do like Port Royal and say 'If y'all are going to tear it up, we're going to quit fixing it,'" Anderson said.

Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.

Related content:

• Update: New Port Royal playground vandalized; skate park to remain closed indefinitely, Dec. 1, 2015
• Beaufort police receive money toward downtown cameras, Oct. 27, 2015
• Beaufort to FEMA: Help us with Waterfront Park, dock repairs, Dec. 10, 2015

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Update: Beaufort's Waterfront Park playground vandalized; city has $4,200 repair bill."