Springs Brook Park “Springs Back” for Opening Day

June 8, 2015
Springs Brook Park's first customers (l) and the guards on duty for Opening Day - Image (c) JMcCT, 2015
Springs Brook Park’s first visitors (l)  head to the Water Park, and some of the the staff on duty for Opening Day: Courtney Oka, Maddie Barnes, Ally Barnes, Lizzie Seibert, Alex Goeke Nikki Taylor, and Jeff Taylor – Image (c) JMcCT, 2015

By Julie McCay Turner

At the gate - Image (c) JMcCT, 2015
At the gate, Devon Duncan and TJ Scanlon – Image (c) JMcCT, 2015

Although the skies were overcast at noon on Monday, a little girl brought her granddad to Springs Brook for Opening Day and they headed straight for the water park. The staff – lifeguards, snack bar personnel, and gate keepers – were ready for a crowd they hoped would materialize once school was over for the day.

A normal opening day, except that damage to the park was discovered on Sunday morning. A couple discovered the problem during their early morning constitutional; they called the police and photographed the damage. Noises were heard around 1 am, but their source wasn’t clear.

Recreation Director Amy Hamilton noted that the damage was, “more nuisance than destructive, but some was destructive: They tore the dock from its anchors on the beach.” Since reattaching the dock to its moorings is a difficult task, Bedford’s DPW may need to help, but until the dock is back in place, it is off limits to swimmers.

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Hamilton and the Springs Brook Park crew spent much of the morning dealing with the damage — small fence sections and swings that were thrown in the pond, overturned picnic tables, and a dislodged beach volleyball net — and will try to “shore up vulnerable parts of the park,” said Hamilton in an email interview.

“The isolated nature of the park sets it up for this,” said Hamilton who noted that this is not the park’s first episode of nocturnal damage by unauthorized visitors.

“Maybe we can enlist neighbors’ help by asking them to call dispatch if they hear noise or see flashlights/light at the park after 8:30 pm,” suggested Hamilton. “Also, those walking dogs in the area should be alerted to help with notification, too.  Maybe with more people aware of operating hours and instructions to call police, some of this can be deterred.”

Bedford’s Police Chief Robert Bongiorno immediately alerted the VA Police, requesting that they assist the Bedford Police with increased checks of the park, and suggesting that calls to 9-1-1 would be in order should neighbors see or hear any suspicious activity that could be coming from the park.

Click here to read Bedford Police and Recreation Ask Residents to Report Vandalism after Incident at Springs Brook Park

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