Recreational fields near jail damaged by vandals
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Monroe County (WNEP) — A community field that sits right next to a jail in the Poconos was vandalized over the weekend. It happened at Monroe County Recreational Fields in Hamilton Township, near Saylorsburg.
The damage to bathrooms and a storage building included vents kicked in, gaping holes in paneling, and broken doorknobs.
County officials don’t know if the vandalism that happened over the weekend has any connection to the jail adjacent to the property, but pieces of paneling can be seen tossed over the fence, plus some supplies that were in the storage room.
“We had recently put together a management plan and a budget for some surveillance out there. It was something that was already in the works before this happened. This just kind of shows the need for us to monitor the property over the weekends when we are not available,” said Fallon Horan, the Monroe County open space coordinator.
People who enjoy coming to the park hope the vandalism was a one-time thing because they would hate to see the gates of the park close.
Tom Gileece and his wife Theresa from Effort like going to the park for walks around the trail.
“Pretty soon, they won’t keep this open to the public, and we will all be deprived because of a couple jerks,” Tom Gilleece said. “We were kind of shocked at all this. I don’t know, it’s terrible. They broke something over there, too. I hope it was like a one-off thing you know, they did it and won’t do it again.”
County officials do not have an estimate on how much the damage will cost yet. The bathroom and storage facility are expected to be fixed in the coming days.
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