Splash Park reopens after vandalism

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -The Barboursville Splash Park has reopened after vandalism.

It was closed for a couple of hours Thursday morning.

Rebecca Shepard and her son, Arley, are regulars at the splash pad.

“We came here, and I knew they opened around 10 a.m. There was no water on at 10:30 a.m.,” Rebecca Shepard said.

Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum said someone tried to pry the pumps away from the concrete bases.

“There was also a good bit of debris in the filters, which is not normal. It’s believed someone was feeding the filter with trash on purpose,” Tatum said.

Tatum said the village of Barboursville has security cameras in the area. They’re unsure if the village will press charges.

“At night, the gates are locked. They’re climbing a 6 to 8-foot fence to get to it. There’s a lot of effort in getting up there,” Tatum said. “We all say kids are kids, but sometimes a lesson needs to be learned for sure.”

For parents like Shepard, they’re frustrated knowing someone would damage property that children play on.

“It’s kind of disappointing. Huntington doesn’t have many things for children. I don’t understand why someone would do that. It’s something for kids,” Shepard said.

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