Police looking for park vandals after weekend damage in Whatcom County
Police are asking for help to identify vandalism suspects after Ferndale’s Star Park restroom and shelter were damaged over the weekend.
The vandalism happened sometime between Saturday evening, Oct. 29, and Sunday afternoon, Oct. 30, according to a news release from city of Ferndale Communications Officer Riley Sweeney.
The soap and towel dispensers were destroyed in one of the restrooms and two trash cans were damaged, Sweeney said.
The plumbing was also partially clogged with paper towels and a hose pipe on the picnic shelter was bent, Sweeney said in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Replacements, repairs and cleanup are expected to cost about $3,000, according to Sweeney.
“I hope the people responsible make restorations because this is Ferndale’s most used playground,” Sweeney said.
City staff were working to repair the Ferndale Road facilities Monday morning, Oct. 31, and expect to have it operational soon. In the meantime, people using the park for recreation will have access to a second bathroom that was undamaged, Sweeney told The Herald.
The Star Park bathrooms were paid for by park impact fees, which are funds collected from developers when new housing is built.
The Ferndale Police Department is asking anyone with information about the incident to email them at contact@ferndalepd.org.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 12:10 PM.
