Peachland’s district council is considering video surveillance for Heritage Park.
The decision comes after a recent act of vandalism that saw the colourful chairs, donated by Lake Country ArtWalk and installed in the park, damaged, a mere five days after they were put in place.
ArtWalk chairperson Sharon McCoubrey said they are hopeful the chairs will be repaired for the public to enjoy again, but they also hope the vandalism doesn’t happen again.
Mayor Cindy Fortin said it was disappointing and that she never even had the chance to see them.
“We were excited about having them and it’s just really disappointing to me that someone would care very little about the enjoyment of others that they would think it’s ok to vandalize public property and not to care about other people’s enjoyment of the artwork,” she said.
District staff have said that instances of vandalism are generally low in Peachland, but they are now monitoring the situation.
Staff indicated that installing a surveillance system in the park will cost the district between $2,000 and $5,000, but because of the lack of lighting at Heritage Park, this could prove challenging and may not provide a clear picture in low light.
“This is also coupled with the likeliness that those performing the vandalism are often with face coverings or hoodies making facial recognition difficult,” staff said in a report.
Council will make a decision on next steps during the Tuesday, Oct. 27 meeting.
READ: Peachland staff, ArtWalk hopeful art chairs will be back after vandalism