A fire at the Fairview Knoll Park playground Friday did about $70,000 of damage, says the Director of Parks and Leisure Operations for the City of Moncton.
Dan Hicks says as far as getting new pieces in for the destroyed set designed for younger children, it takes about four to six weeks to manufacture.
“There is still a set that’s designed for older kids that’s available, but the section that’s been vandalized and damaged will be either taken out or blocked off in some description,” says Hicks.
He says that playground was rebuilt just last year for $750,000, and had only opened in October, and he adds the repair work will keep that portion of the park out of commission for most of the spring and possibly even into early summer.
While the Fire Department has not yet revealed a cause, Hicks says they’ve run into vandalism in the area before.
He says it was damaged just a few weeks after being installed last October with some of the elements broken.
“Earlier in the week we had a picnic table that was destroyed by fire as well, so it’s very disheartening,” says Hicks. “The citizens of Moncton have a beautiful asset here and for the sake of one or two individuals it’s being taken away from the rest of the citizens.”
Hicks is urging anyone with information about the fires and the vandalism to call Codiac RCMP or Crimestoppers.
