Vandalism a daily occurrence in City parks

September 11, 2018
By Landry Evans
Bartlesville High School

The City of Bartlesville owns 17 public parks — including two swimming pools, a splash pad and the Price Fields Sports Complex, one or more of which are vandalized nearly every day, Parks Superintendent Bobby Robinson said recently.

“City parks get defaced day to day in more ways than one,” Robinson said, noting damages that range from mild graffiti to the total destruction of restroom facilities and other City property.

While there appears to be no particular target of the parks under City control, at least one of them gets defaced or “trashed” every day — often right after they were just repaired or cleaned from the last incident, Robinson said. And special events hosted in the parks often garner major trash from littering.

Serious damage occurs more often than one might think. Robinson points out several incidents that have occurred just recently: A concession stand at the Price Fields Sport Complex was broken into. A table in the Oak Park park was burned and partially dismantled just weeks after it was installed. A port-a-john at Hudson Lake was riddled with bullets within a few days of its placement.

Robinson said that every time a fixture is broken or graffiti is spray-painted onto park structures, it costs time and money to repair.

“Some projects, such as broken toilets and fixtures can cost several thousand dollars in equipment and manpower,” he said.

Citizens are asked to contact authorities if they see any kind of vandalism take place to help reduce the time and workload of the Parks Department.

The City takes vandalism seriously and will report all major vandalism to the Bartlesville Police Department for follow-up.

In addition to contacting authorities, citizens can also help by volunteering to pick up trash as a community service or join the Bartlesville Area Friends of the Parks. For more information about Friends of the Parks, see their website, www.bartlesvilleparks.net.

To report vandalism or any other crime, contact the Bartlesville Police Department at 918-338-4001. For more information about City of Bartlesville parks and facilities, see www.cityofbartlesville.org.