BARRY’S BAY– An evening of partying led to quite a bit of damage to a park on Paugh Lake’s south shore.
The park, also referred to as Reeve’s Park or Stan’s Park, hosted an “unsanctioned event” according to Recreation and Community Development Coordinator Paul Nopper. The event happened on the evening of August 21.
“There was damage that occurred through bonfires,” he began.
Although there are barbecue fire pits on site, bonfires were set up, including one directly under a tree. Bottles were smashed around the park, along with damage to the park’s lawns. One of the large barbecue pits was also badly damaged.
“It wasn’t in the best shape but they definitely made it worse,” Nopper said.
He has contacted local residents and he is meeting with the OPP to ensure this doesn’t happen again. He said residents must be vigilant and call while the party is taking place rather than afterwards.
“That way, we can deal with it in the manner than it should not after the fact, because after the fact is too late,” Nopper explained.
Since the party, the bonfire remains and bottles have been cleared up. Nopper recommended removing the brick barbecue pits to avoid similar damage in the future.
“This park’s been somewhat of a hot topic this year,” he said. “We are just trying to mitigate things and find solutions.”
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