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Graffiti is seen on a concrete pad at Hendrickson Memorial Park in Manteno. Vandals spray-painted the concrete and skate park equipment the weekend of Aug. 8. The vandals have not been caught. The week of Aug. 10, all of the equipment was removed from the park in order to erase the graffiti. The equipment will not be reinstalled this year. photo by Tracy Ahrens
Vandalism at skate park  Share
Skate park equipment at Hendrickson Memorial Park in Manteno has been removed. The weekend of Aug. 8, vandals spray painted the equipment and the concrete pad it sat on. Some of the language involved curse words. After assessing the damage, Trustee Dan Rudin, who is chairman of properties and recreation, and Superintendent of Public Works Brian O'Keefe felt that removing the equipment was the only option. In sum, roughly five pieces of skate equipment were removed the week of Aug. 10, Rudin said. At this time, the vandals who caused this damage are not known.
The skate park equipment was installed about three years ago, Rudin said. The cost of the equipment, including installation of the concrete pad, was more than $50,000. Graffiti will probably have to be sandblasted off the equipment, Rudin said, along with writing that is still on the concrete pad. ''We put the skate park in so that kids had a place to go,'' Rudin said. Unfortunately, an increased amount of trash has been left in the park, Rudin said, and this park is one of the first things people see as they enter Manteno along East Third Street. Hendrickson Park is also not as well-lit as other parks in Manteno, Rudin said. ''We see some graffiti in other parks in Manteno,'' Rudin said, but ''this is the worst graffiti we have seen at a park in this area in a while. Whoever did this intentionally defaced expensive skate park equipment. ''We are not going to put the equipment back in the way it currently looks,'' Rudin said. ''We will need to fix it over the winter and possibly put it back next year.'' He said that the village's Parks & Recreation Committee will discuss the incident further and decide if the equipment will be returned. If anyone has information on who may have carried out the vandalism at Hendrickson Park, please contact the Manteno Police Department at 815-929-4801. Tracy Ahrens is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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