Cornwall community 'heartbroken' by vandalism on nature trail
CBC
Officials with the Cornwall and Area Watershed Group are frustrated and disappointed with recent vandalism at the trail in Hyde Park.
Someone tore apart the railing and sign boards on an observation platform overlooking the water, and made a fire with the wood.
It's the fourth time vandals have hit the trail since it was developed in 2018 in a forested area along the watershed behind Westwood Primary School.
Karalee McAskill, the co-ordinator and ecologist with the watershed group, said the recent damage has been the worst.
"I would say about 70 per cent of the platform is torn apart just by physical force ... what looks like physical force. Children from Westwood and the daycares nearby, they all visit that area. There's lots of residents that are also heartbroken to see the place vandalized because they attend that place daily for visits. And it's just really hard to see."
McAskill says the group plans to put up security cameras and, on a suggestion from the RCMP, the park will be closed from dusk until dawn.
The nature observation platform was built in 2018 by the Charlottetown Naval Unit as part of their Building Bridges to Communities Initiative. The leader of that project is interested in doing a full repair, McAskill said.