Graffiti on playground is estimated at $10,000

By SEAN C. McCULLEN
Staff Writer

BRIDGETON -- The city's parks supervisor discovered what he estimated to be about $10,000 worth of graffiti-related damage on newly installed playground equipment off Babe Ruth Drive Wednesday morning, according to police.

The play sets, accessible for children with disabilities and include a "carpet sponge" to increase safety, were installed just last month.

Now, they are marked with profanities, a picture of body parts and other phrases and symbols.

Jerome "Beaver" Cassidy also found similar graffiti on picnic tables behind Alden Field.

He estimated that it will only cost about $10 to clean the paint off of the tables, according to Ptl. Ryan Shinn's investigation report.

All graffiti was done with white spray paint, according to the report.

Cassidy contacted police around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday to inform them of the vandalism. He indicated that the graffiti was not there as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

So, on the same night the Cumberland County Improvement Authority approved a grant of about $42,000 for two city churches and Tri-County Community Action Partnership's Southeast Gateway to facilitate the revitalization of a playground in the southeast section of the city, another playground was brought onto the list of those needing work.