Volunteer power saved the day after vandals struck the Turner Valley Spray Park.
The Town was forced to close its spray park after several individuals broke bottles there in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 16.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened, but it happened,” said Turner Valley Mayor Barry Crane.
“What we’re really happy with is the volunteer turnout to help clean up the park within hours of identifying it.”
A birthday party scheduled for 10 a.m. had to be postponed as Crane used Facebook to ask for volunteers to help clean up the broken glass to re-open the park.
Responses came in right away, he said. About a dozen community members pitched in to clean the concrete pad and surrounding grass, many bringing shop-vacs and extension cords from home.
The park was ready to open again before 2 p.m. and the birthday party went ahead.
“I love the volunteers in this community for stepping up and saving the day for this birthday party,” Crane said.
The temperature hit 30 C that day, and without the help from community members the spray park would have been closed much longer.
“That's what I’m impressed with and proud of, how people stepped up on a moment's notice,” Crane said.
Local RCMP have identified all the individuals involved, using video footage obtained from the Town’s Capture Program to determine timelines, direction of travel and descriptions of the individuals.
Crane said the Capture Program served its purpose, and that it sends a message that criminal activity can be caught, and dealt with, when everyone does their job to help.
“That is what this plan is for. The Capture Program is to help identify suspects so that we can actually enforce something. It’s clearly worked.”
The program is a voluntary camera registry that records the locations of security cameras in Foothills County for RCMP to access if a crime is reported in that area.
For more information about Turner Valley’s Capture Program, visit turnervalley.ca/capture-program/.
Crane said the youth involved will be dealt with by the RCMP and parents, and he is using the incident to highlight the actions of community members who came together to re-open the park.
Somebody staying at the nearby campground heard about the incident and came to help, Crane said, adding that it was the camper's first time in Turner Valley.
“He spent three hours cleaning and was super impressed to see the volunteer turnout.”
