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Whitehorse city crews repair splash park vandalism

City crews were able to fix damage done by vandals to the water splash park in Whitehorse Friday, just as temperatures are expected to reach 25 C over the weekend.

Vandalism could have resulted in closure over hot summer weekend

Young people were back playing in Whitehorse's splash park Friday afternoon after city crews made repairs to a vandalized fixture. (Philippe Morin/CBC)

City of Whitehorse crews were able to fix damage done by vandals to the water splash park Friday.

Mark Boullerice, the city's park supervisor, says vandals stole a water cannon which was painted to look like an eagle's head. 

"We think it was done with a blunt object, maybe a rock," he says.

This water cannon, painted to look like an eagle's head, is now missing from the Whitehorse splash park. Officials say it looks like the head was removed with a blunt object. (Mike Rudyk/CBC)

The vandalism at the splash park could have resulted in its closure this weekend, just as temperatures are expected to reach 25 C.

However city workers were able to re-direct water to other splash fixtures.

Other vandalism has occurred recently at Shipyards Park, a bus shelter in the Copper Ridge area and in LePage Park.

Boullerice estimates recent damage to city facilities could cost the city as much as $10,000. 

"Because of all of that vandalism and graffiti that has happened recently we are asking the public to help us out and to call in any suspicious activities to the RCMP to help put a stop to these things because it's eventually going to cost a lot of us a bunch of money," he says.