Park officials woke up to extensive damage to the gazebo and a large deck at Burns Harbor’s Lakeland Park Friday morning.
“It is heartbreaking. Devastating,” Park Superintendent Kim Burton said.
“We are just trying to take everything in and clean up right now,” she said. “We have a huge 5K event going on at our park (Saturday).”
She wanted everything cleaned up and safe for that event.
The park department posted photos of the damage on Facebook and urged anyone with information about it to contact the police department.
As for what’s next, she said the Park Board will need to weigh in. She planned to evaluate the damage and recommend a plan of action after the damage was cleaned up.
Porter County Councilman Andy Bozak, R-At-large, who lives nearby, started a “Help Restore Lakeland Park in Burns Harbor After Vandalism” account on GoFundMe to raise money for repairs.
By late Friday afternoon, 11 people had donated $435 toward the $5,000 goal.
It’s Bozak’s first GoFundMe request. He and his wife Roseann are former Park Board members. Bozak’s dad is the head maintenance person at the park department, and Bozak’s son works for his grandfather.
“We’re just trying to fix some of those damages that were caused,” Bozak said. “My dad built those picnic tables, and to see it thrown through the railing like that was pretty sad.”
“We’re a small community. You normally don’t see vandalism like that,” he said.
Bozak wasn’t sure how much the actual cost of repairs would be. “I just figured $5,000 was a good start.” Hopefully, there will be money available for security upgrades as well, he said.
A Portage painter offered to donate paint and stain if needed. The boards that were affected were all treated lumber, he said.
“It’s just kind of cool to see the community come together after such a devastating attack like that,” Bozak said.
In the GoFundMe post, Bozak shared photos of the vandalism.
“This beloved community space, which serves as a hub for families, nature enthusiasts, and local events, has been deeply affected,” he posted. “The damage includes damage to the shelter, the gazebo and other landscaping around the park, leaving our park in need of immediate repairs. As a community, we are devastated by this senseless act and are coming together to restore what has been lost.”
Police Chief Jeremy McHargue could not be reached for comment.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
