Ashland officials are asking residents to report vandalism to the Ashland Police Department’s non-emergency contact. The plea came after an Ashland City Park bathroom was vandalized over the weekend, according to a post made on a private community Facebook page.
An Ashland City Park’s restroom was vandalized with a tree limb in a toilet and toilet paper across the wall, according to the post. The vandalism was cleaned up, and there were no permanent damages. The incident was not reported to the Police Department.
“There’s no options available to us outside of education to try to encourage better monitoring by parents and the public,” city administrator Kyle Michel said about preventing vandalism in the city.
He added there is usually “no permanent damage” from the vandalism in the park’s restrooms. The bathrooms also automatically lock outside of the park’s operating hours.
This isn’t the first incident of vandalism at the park. Another incident occurred in May when a public bathroom sink was shattered, according to a Facebook post. A juvenile who vandalized the bathroom was charged with a misdemeanor.
Michel said vandalism often appears on Saturday nights and happens a few times a year.
“Ensuring the public calls 311 when vandalism is actively occurring is the biggest thing that needs to happen,” Michel said. “If people simply called 311 when they observe vandalism in progress, we would have an officer dispatched and arrests made.”