Virginia Beach, Va. – A popular neighborhood park was recently targeted by vandals. Tuesday morning, graffiti could be found at Salem Woods Park on the playground, little league bleachers and park benches.
For Paul Defnet, it’s disheartening to see.
“The kids just come out to have fun, and they've got to look at this and it's not fair for them,” said Defnet.
The park is one of his favorite places to throw the ball around with his kids or eat lunch.
Other neighbors were upset to see the mess as well.
So NewsChannel 3 took action, contacting the city to find out what could be done about it.
The Parks and Recreation Department said they hadn't received any reports of the vandalism yet. They immediately sent crews over to take care of it.
Unfortunately, it’s something they have to deal with routinely, taking up the city's time and money.
“It's very time consuming. It’s not just a one-step process. It's elbow grease and a lot of hard work,” said Michael Parkman with the city’s parks and recreation department.
By Tuesday afternoon, they were able to remove most of the graffiti. Some of the spray paint is on buildings that belong to little league teams, so the city cannot remove it. They have contacted the teams though.
If you see vandalism at a city park in Virginia Beach, you can report it by calling their parks and recreation department at (757) 385-1100.
