Someone is going out of their way to cause late night destruction of a soccer field in Tsawwassen.
City parks and rec maintenance crews were at Brandrith Park last Friday morning to assess the latest act of vandalism on the micro (junior) size pitch that is located just north of the main ball diamond. It appears that it was a large pick-up truck that left deep tire tracks all over the field and even behind the soccer goals. It’s estimated the repair work will cost in the thousands of dollars.
The field has been vandalized several times over the past five weeks. It can only be accessed by driving through the school grounds at the adjacent Cliff Drive Elementary. City crews even placed large boulders in an attempt to block entrance points to the field, but they were rolled out of the way for the latest destruction that was the worst yet.
“It’s unfortunate that someone is taken liberties on our parks that we try keep open as much as possible for everyone to enjoy them,” said Trent Reid, City of Delta’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture. “There was a time where most parks had barriers all around them to prevent this type of activity. Over time, we have been a little bit more open and welcoming, by removing some of those barriers or modifying them that they’re not so obstructive.
“Looks like we just have maybe one or two individuals that are taking advantage of that good nature and causing a lot of damage, which is really disappointing.”
City staff also reported tire tracks on sports fields at nearby Dennison and Pebble Hill Parks, however, these constant acts of vandalism targeting the same Brandrith field is something they have never seen before.
The field boundary markers were even dug up in darkness and placed in tire tracks near the centre of the field.
“Often the vandalism we will see is by circumstances or by chance. Clearly we have a very purposeful act that isn’t just circumstantial, it’s premeditated. There’s some thought that’s been put into it,” continued Reid. “It costs us money, the taxpayers frankly, to keep up with this stuff.
“For our parks (maintenance) team that’s out there, they take great pride in what they’re trying to do and it’s really discouraging for them. They’ve worked hard over the last few years to really bring our fields up to a higher standard. And the people really being hurt here are the youth and adult user groups.”
Delta Police confirmed they are investigating and efforts to identify the vehicle are ongoing.
No suspects are known at this point.
