WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A new playground for kids with special needs has been vandalized before it even opened.
The grand opening for Kirby Park's new inclusive playground in Wilkes-Barre is now on hold. The site was damaged Wednesday afternoon.
"I feel bad because this is heartbreaking for the people who want to use that and were told you are going to have a wonderful place to go and use even though you are in a wheelchair or you have other disabilities," said Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown.
The inclusive playground has been in the works for more than a year and a half. The community raised $520,000 to make it all possible.
City leaders found the damage that included chunks of the rubber matting missing and scattered on the ground nearby.
"It's a construction site, so the fence was taken down, and I noticed when I was walking around that the damage had been done to the rubber matting. I also found a piece of a zip line ripped off and tossed in a different part of the park, and I found some cans of alcoholic beverages that were drunk over there," said the mayor.
"I just think it's a shame that we take away so much from our young people today when such a special project came up, and so much hard work went into it," Donna Keller.
People who spend time at the playground in Kirby Park say they've watched this new section of the playground come to life, and once it's open, it will be a welcome space for many families.
"Raising a special-needs child myself and having typical children, I just thought it was such a neat experience for parents coming up to have a playground that was inclusive where the whole family can play together instead of trying to be separate and where they can play with neighborhood kids and be included," Keller said.
The city of Wilkes-Barre will now close the park at dusk each night. Plans are in the works for new lighting, security cameras, and increased police patrols.
"So with these options, I'm hoping we can take away anyone else that wants to be a vandal down there, but we are taking a hard line. We'll arrest people, and if we can find out who did it, I'll make sure they're prosecuted," said Mayor Brown.
The city hopes to have repairs done by the end of September.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.