ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — An act of vandalism has caused thousands of dollars in damage at Emery Park, according to Erie County officials.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the vandalism took place at Emery Park early in the week of June 28 and caused damage to the Ski Lodge and Field House.
According to officials, the doors to both facilities were kicked in and fire extinguishers from the two buildings were taken and discharged in the Ski Lodge.
“This type of behavior is not acceptable and is a crime against the entire community,” said Poloncarz. “Because of these vandals, two groups have had to cancel their reservations at the Ski Lodge while this damage is repaired. Our community is better than this and we are encouraging anyone who might have information about this incident to please come forward.”
The cost to clean the facilities has been about $31,000. The doors and fire extinguishers will also need to be replaced.
“It is discouraging to see such senseless destruction of public property, just stupid pointless vandalism that unfortunately affects all of us. These facilities are loved by many and are used regularly, so to see them vandalized like this is frustrating and violates our community. Anyone who has knowledge of who did this should please come forward,” said Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, Troy P. Schinzel.
“The Sheriff’s Office does take the destruction of county property seriously, and anyone with information about the incident that occurred on or about June 28 within Emery Park, is urged to call the Sheriff’s Dispatch Center at 716-858-2903 and refer to CL #21-046214,” said Scott Zylka, of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
Sometime early last week, vandals broke into 2 buildings @ErieCountyParks Emery Park (Ski Lodge and Field House) and caused $31,000 in damage. This hurts the whole community and caused Parks to cancel events. Help us identify the vandals. Read more:https://t.co/hqGmBeqNFU pic.twitter.com/rKuupnvg1U
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) July 7, 2021
