‘It makes your heart sick’: Who keeps vandalizing Nova Scotia’s Bennett Park?

Bennett Park in Mineville, N.S., can’t seem to catch a break lately.

The multi-purpose field is the latest part of the park to be vandalized, with someone ripping up the grass that volunteers recently invested in.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Patty McDonald, the treasurer of the Mineville Community Association.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's very frustrating," said Patty McDonald, the treasurer of the <a href="http://www.mineville.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mineville Community Association</a>.

“Three years ago, the multi-purpose field was ripped up by a black Dodge Ram,” she explained.

“We finally got the soil in, paid for the hydro seeding, had to water it every day for two weeks. Friday would have been the last day. The seed was coming up wonderfully. Thursday, somebody decided to rip it up.”

On June 26, volunteers bought and planted flowers near the park’s gazebo, only to find them stolen hours later.

“We planted flowers and that day at 3:30, we had it on tape that they were being pulled up,” said McDonald. “It makes your heart sick. It really does.”

New flowers donated to the park by local businesses have since been replanted, but the vandalism hasn’t stopped.

Within 48 hours of the plants being ripped up, the recently repaired parking lot was torn up again by people doing donuts in their vehicles.

Bennett Park does have security cameras, but volunteers say they need a new system to help them produce better images of those responsible for damage to the park.

All of the incidents have been reported to police, who call it concerning.

“It’s disrespectful,” said RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's disrespectful," said RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson.

“What you’re doing is taking away from what others are doing to improve your community.”

At this time, no charges have been laid in connection with any of the incidents at Bennett Park.

“If you’re caught, you’re going to be charged, and you can look at a number of offences, whether it’s under the Motor Vehicle Act or the Criminal Code for mischief,” Hutchinson said.

“That’s somebody else’s property. It’s not yours, and you have to respect it. We’re very fortunate we have places like this in our communities.”

Police are asking anyone who witnesses suspicious activity at or near the park to contact authorities.

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