'Substantial Vandalism' Plagues Ohio City's Parks

Parks in an Ohio city have been damaged by a "substantial amount of vandalism in recent months," according to department officials.

Tiffin Parks and Recreation staff have noticed damage to the volleyball courts, basketball courts, parking lots and grass areas at Hedges-Boyer Park and other parks throughout the city, Tiffin officials said in a news release. Officials said the department is having to divert time and resources in an attempt to end the vandalism.

Mason Correll, recreation operations manager for Tiffin, asked park-goers who see any suspicious to report it.

Damage from vehicles spinning "donuts" on park property.Tiffin Parks and Recreation

“We ask you, as citizens of Tiffin and the surrounding areas and patrons of our local parks, to be vigilant while enjoying all that the parks have to offer,” Correll said, TiffinOhio.net reported. “If you see something, please, say something. Together, as a community, we can make our parks even better.”

In 2021, the Parks and Recreation Department invested in a high-quality surveillance system with the aim of preventing further vandalism to the parks.

The recent vandalism, which includes damage from vehicles driving in the parks doing “car donuts” at Hedges-Boyer Park, is prompting the department to install concrete barriers at the top of the hill to restrict vehicle traffic.

Officials said expenses may be incurred to repair damage to the basketball courts, which were surfaced in 2017 for $25,000.

Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz said city staff work hard to maintain the parks, and the cost of the damage adds up.

“These are not victimless crimes, and unfortunately result in a cost to taxpayers both through employees’ time and resources to address damage,” Montz said. “City staff work hard to maintain our beautiful parks system, and it is heartbreaking to see this kind of unnecessary destruction.”