WELLINGTON, Fla. — Vandals left behind a trail of damage at not one, but two parks in Wellington. Now village leaders are reacting to the damage, which costs hundreds of dollars.
The grounds were pristine at Village Park in Wellington on Tuesday as kids played during their summer vacation.
And only a few miles away at Tiger Shark Cove Park, the bricks leading up to the playground let you know everyone is welcome.
"The words on the ground let you know that everyone came together and built it," said parent Jasmine Mack.
Mack brings her two kids here a few times a week. But she's disappointed that their safe spot to run around has been targeted by vandals.
"It is disappointing because there's a lot of love and joy in this park," Mack said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said earlier this month, both parks were hit on the same day. Vandals zoned in on the bathrooms, smashing toilet tanks, shattering mirrors, and ripping off the toilet paper dispensers.
"Something this violent and this negative is certainly something we never want to see," said Village Manager Jim Barnes.
Barnes said most of the damage was done at Village Park.
An employee set to clean the bathroom walked in and discovered the damage, costing the village hundreds of dollars.
"The cost is one thing and that's certainly always important to us, but the bigger cost, the unquantifiable cost, is the lack of facilities available for our parks and rec customers and residents using the parks," Barnes said.
There are no cameras in the area, and Barnes said he has never seen this much damage at two of the parks.
"It's very disheartening to see it happen and we're hopeful it is a single isolated incident and not a sign of things to come," Barnes said.
Most of the repairs have been completed and the village is hoping to reopen the bathrooms this week.
PBSO is asking anyone with information about who is responsible to come forward.