My second sense of outrage is why the maintenance of the restrooms is being neglected by the city? I was told that a person was assigned to inspect the restrooms and to clean them on a regular basis. There was obviously no maintenace performed at the Westside Park pavilion. I understand that the restrooms at the New Millennia Park are also being trashed.
Some of those who helped build the pavilion are outraged also. As one of the workers told me, "I busted my butt for 2 years to help build this pavilion. I did my part and saved the city a lot of money by volunteering my services. The least I can expect is for the city to do their part and keep the pavilion maintained."
One of the reasons the old bandstand was torn down is because it was not maintained properly. We should learn from this mistake and not let it happen with the new pavilion.
I am sure that those who contributed money to the construction of the Westside Park pavilion will also be outraged to learn that the pavilion is being trashed and not maintained properly. People are not going to contribute if they feel that the object of their donation is not going to be maintained properly.
If the city has not specifically delegated the responsibility of maintaining the restrooms at both parks, it should do so now and make sure that the maintenance is carried out. If the responsibility has been delegated and the work has not been carried out, those responsible should be reprimanded.
Vandalism is not unique to Minonk. Other communities are reporting similar problems. I know the police cannot be everywhere to prevent such acts. What the police can do is to make themselves more visible and to talk to those who appear to be hanging around. I have noticed some unsavory looking characters hanging around downtown Minonk recently. I also noticed people drinking beer on the downtown sidewalks. The police need to start walking the beat downtown and make their presence be known.
People who have knowledge of vandalism should report it to the authorities. Parents should be aware of what their children are doing and punish them if they are found to be guilty of wrong doing. We cannot let a few idiots destroy the good in this community for everyone else.