Investigations into vandalism at school and city recreational areas aren’t going well, and the price for replacing one damaged athletic field may reach $1 million.
Some artificial turf at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park was burned in May, and due to its age and wear the field can’t be permanently spot-patched to fix the damage.
“The estimate I’ve heard from our engineering department, and it’s not an official estimate, is around $1 million. ...A lot of that depends on what other kind of work is involved,” said Parks and Recreation Superintendent George Schaaf.
Last week, school district employees reported burn marks on the Thunder Mountain High School turf that occurred about two weeks prior.
Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School also suffered damage from graffiti vandals this summer.
Juneau Police Department Administrative Manager Cindee Brown-Mills said investigators found nothing at the Thunder Mountain campus, and aren’t sure what caused the fire.
“No accelerant found at the scene, we really have no idea,” she said. “At this point we’re at a dead end. If anyone has information please call us.”
Juneau School District Communications Manager Kristin Bartlett said there is a small, circular singed patch on the artificial turf at Thunder Mountain. Bartlett said in talking with staff, they’re not entirely convinced the damage was intentional and think it might have been a model rocket or something that went off course. The district is being cautious with all the vandalism and arson going on.
“At this time, I think that because it’s not deep and it’s along the sidelines, they’re looking at how it might be repaired, but aren’t any immediate concerns,” Bartlett said. “Since that time the school has installed a security camera.”
That damage was estimated at around $500.
Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School was spray-painted all around the outside last week. Bartlett said the damage was about $500, including labor and cleaning material costs. That damage has been cleaned up.
“There isn’t any long-term damage,” she said.
The school district has insurance for all of its facilities through the City and Borough of Juneau. Bartlett said the damage amounts likely aren’t high enough to report and will come out of the general fund.
If students are the ones causing the damage, the district could hold them liable for the costs under its vandalism policy, which states: “The Board of Education believes that students should learn to respect property and take pride in the institutions of this community and the schools of this district. A student who willfully and maliciously damages the property of this district, real or personal, will be held liable for the damage. The Board will hold liable for the amount of the damage the parent or guardian having legal custody and control of the minor responsible for the damage.”
Bartlett said those responsible will likely face criminal repercussions and, on the district end, would pay restitution.
“We need the community’s help to take good care of all the school facilities and athletic fields so everybody can continue to enjoy them,” Bartlett said.
Adair-Kennedy has the biggest financial dilemma over the arson on its turf.
“There was evidence of accelerants there,” Brown-Mills said.
There are deep burns in the artificial turf. Schaaf said city engineers estimated the arson damage between $10,000 and $25,000 to repair.
That said, repairs are actually going to be a lot more expensive and extensive because of the age and wear on the field.
Schaaf said the field is 11 years old and already showing its age. He explained artificial turf fields are a combination of synthetic carpet grass and crumb rubber. The grass fibers are what holds the rubber in place and the rubber is supposed to be an inch and a half thick. The field thickness is now, on average, a half inch thick.
Schaaf said there are other areas of more common damage, including the areas where soccer players do penalty kicks, for example.
“The age and the condition of the field complicate the repair of the arson damage,” Schaaf said.
The city does have replacement turf and rubber, however because of the age and wear of the field if they were to replace the two sections of turf from arson damage it would not match the existing field in multiple ways and would cause other issues.
Schaaf said the company that built and installed the field is now out of business, but he did contact the company that built Thunder Mountain’s field. After sending in measurements and other information, the company said it would not be possible to spot-repair the field.
“We’re pursuing replacement of the field because we’re getting near that point anyway,” Schaaf said. “In the meantime, we’re seeing if we can find someone to do a short-term repair of the field.”
Schaaf is waiting on more information before he can present options to Parks and Recreation.
“No matter what, whoever’s responsible for the damage, I hope they didn’t realize what they were doing,” Schaaf said. “They caused an amount of damage that’s almost impossible to place a cost on.”
Schaaf said they also will be looking at putting in video surveillance, however that also will be costly since the facility isn’t wired for that kind of technology.
Schaaf said there also has been damage to the backstop at Dzantik’i Heeni and several port-a-potties were vandalized at Lena Point. Parks and Recreation agreed to double the reward amount for the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The Crimeline reward is $500 and Parks and Recreation matched it.
Brown-Mills said if people have information they can call JPD at 586-0600 or if they wish to leave an anonymous tip on Crimeline they can go to Juneaucrimeline.com.
• Contact reporter Sarah Day at 523-2279 or at sarah.day@juneauempire.com
Comments (25)
Add commentSmile, You're On Candid Camera!
It does appear to be a logical move that these acts of vandalism would be better avoided if video monitor/recorder systems were employed. Seems like it would certainly give the authorities and investigators a leg up on things.
Dirt fields:
Remove the turf and go back to dirt fields. Maybe when the users of the fields get tired of the dirt someone will spill the beans. Also where is that 1 million coming from?
I have an idea. Juneau could
I have an idea. Juneau could build more trails for the kids to walk on or build them a new cruise ship dock. Or mabey, just mabey, give them a dang sand pit to ride atv's.
hanklive
We already have a bajillion trails. Kids who are interested have many options. A cruise ship dock won't help kids... And ATVs? C'mon. If a kid is so bored that they'll commit crimes if they can't ride ATV's (which is probably not even feasible for the yotuhs that DO commit crimes, as ATVs are expensive), then they have other issues and I'd be scared to put them behind the wheel of a dangerous machine.
If we want to reduce vandalism, you need to find out WHY they did it. Likely, the kids (if they were kids) didn't respect the fact that the field is public property and has to be paid for if it's damaged. They probably don't use it themselves. So it could have been a kid who was picked on by athletes, someone who just resents athletics, or even a JDHS athlete who is overly competitive. Who knows. But it shows that either something is lacking in our public education system (some kids feel marginalized or like the school doesn't care about them--common given how much emphasis is placed on sports), or our social system (the kid(s) maybe have a crappy life at home and vent their anger through vandalism or other crimes).
You can set up surveillance and catch kids after they commit crimes, or you can figure out why they did it in the first place and prevent future events from happening.
I think it's the aliens....
Juneau's version of crop circles! Rockets...hehehe.
Just fix it!!
The school district is out of control. Just patch the field for a few hundred dollars. If the colors don't match exactly because of age, blend then in with some dye. $$$1,000,000.00 to replace a 3x5 foot burn--Astro turf costs $15 per square yard. Some supplier is real happy the field got burned! Now the taxpayers get burned!
Not having a place to ride is
Not having a place to ride is a prime example of how Juneau is dissconnected from the rest of the state and it also shows juneaus un alaskan attitude by not allowing others to do what makes them happy.
Patrols
Maybe if the police department made a habit of checking out the schools several times a night they would catch some of these vandals. If we only have enough officers to patrol Franklin street and the valley bars maybe we need to hire a few more.
Maybe parents need to pay more attention to where their kids are going at night and then check once in a while to make sure they are actually where they said they would be.
Hank, there are folks in
Hank, there are folks in Interior villages that dont get to run around on boats either. There are appropriate activities for different regions. We have next to no land that isnt a vertical mountain or muskeg swanp. ATVs make little sense here. When you have very little buildable land and a housing market that is insane, I would rather see them build some more houses than an ATV park. Get over it and go ride yours in Wasilla, where it makes sense to have one.
ATVs
What's wrong with Eaglecrest all summer?
Kp, have you ever ridden
Kp, have you ever ridden here? I have a had for many years. To say there is no place to ride leads me to believe you have never ridden in juneau and perhaps do not know how to ride.
Rode all the time in Wyoming
Rode all the time in Wyoming and Montana, where it made sense. I see the after effects of those who try to ride here in the muskeg out by the rifle range all the time. Doesn't make me or any of my friends feel like changing our minds much
I didn't say there was no
I didn't say there was no place to ride, I said it didnt make sense.
I agree with kpawsuh. ATVs
I agree with kpawsuh. ATVs are much more suited to a dirt park, but in the wilderness, they tear apart vegetation. Mountainbikes are far more apt for Juneau's terrain. Yes, it takes more effort, but there's nowhere you can't go.
Personally, I've ridden ATVs a few times when I was in Idaho. It was fun, but not so much that I would demand our city cater to it.
hanklive - I've ridden too...
And I also agree with Kpawsuh - you're talking about a huge, open pit where people can spin brodies, go fast, climb over stacks of rocks and trees - and even if YOU aren't, that's the vision of many of the younger riders.
My folks had a cabin in the yukon, we used them for gardening and hauling wood, and rode slowly on the trails to the lake.
What happened with the option up behind Costco? Wasn't the ATV group working on that in conjunction with snowmachiners? I'd support that, even funds for trails and a clearing back up the valley somewhere.
Seems Silly....
back to the article - it seems silly to spend $1 million to replace it now - how bad is the burned patch? What is the remaining life of the field anyway, if it's already at 1/2" thick, down from 1.5"? If we're talking 2-5 years, spray paint the affected section, and wait until it makes sense to replace the field.
User Safety
The physical safety of adults and youth who play on that field is a HUGE reason NOT to do a mediocre job to repair that field. As stated, the field is 11 years old ... that is OLD! It's 1/3 of its original depth.
Look at the increasing number of injuries over time ... it is my personal opinion that CBJ should have replaced that field long ago instead of making it make do. Now it’s been vandalized on top of its degradation.
If CBJ has no plans to correctly replace the field, and it's already received a "no" from one company who won’t risk its business reputation by doing shoddy work, then it should close until they can do the job right.
Seriously, people! How much is YOUR broken leg worth? What about your kid's? Think about how much it's going to cost CBJ when someone is seriously injured, CBJ knew about the hazard, and yet did nothing to mitigate the damages?
Besides, they were getting ready to replace the field, anyway ... now it's just sooner than later.
I have an idea
I have a great idea.. Parents, where are your kids.. do you know who they are with, where they are, who they are with, and if night time are they in bed.. hold them accountable make them pay full damages.....if your kid is known to sneak out, put alarms on theri windows.. everyones tax money is now going to have to fix the damages.. and as for things for kids to do, this town is severely lacking, no all kids skateboard or hike. An ATV track would be great, and indoor rec area is needed and monitored 100%.. the kids are bored in Juneau all year long and find bad ways to entertain themselves.
From what I have seen, it
From what I have seen, it isnt necessarily the kids causing problems, although it is easy to blame them. It appears to be the 20ish yr olds who only work enough to support their habit or just rob you.
For the record, I'm not
For the record, I'm not strictly opposed to an ATV park. If there's enough support behind it, by all means go for it. I'm not sure it would solve the problem at hand though; as has been mentioned, the kind of kids who would burn turf probably can't afford an ATV. Also, Juneau is not at a loss for things to do outdoors - we have hiking, boating, fishing, and biking, just to name a few.
Indoor activities, however, are quite sparse. We have a bowling alley and movie theaters. We have two depressingly bare malls - the only real places to be a mallrat in this town are Fred Meyer or Walmart.
I don't have a good solution to offer either. Private industry can't sustain a youth-only demographic - anyone remember party zone? And governments haven't got the best track record for relegating 'fun' to youth.
ATV's
It always comes back to having an ATV park. We should build the park to take care of our drug problem, homeless problem, financial problem, global warming problem, decline of the polar bear habitat.
I have always been in favor of a ATV park. After the years of all of the "if only we had a park" we would all be in lala fairy land. I am burned out on hearing about it. This story has nothing to do with kids having an ATV park. I no longer support the park based soly on this attitude that it is the end all be all solution to Juneau's problems.
Some reckless kids set a fire to be a shmuck and now the tax payers are going to have to pay an arm and a leg to repair the damage.
We grew up on that field picking up rocks and survived. The schools are asking for more money to keep the doors open, the city has a multi million dollar hole to fill the next few years.
I don't want my tax dollars to have to go to astro turf that has to be replaced every 10 years. We have other CBJ buildings in bad shape, program finance cuts and on and on.
Catch and hold people accountable for this stuff.
ATV park supporters, give it a rest. You are loosing more and more public support the more you reach. State you case and the facts. Building it up like this and jumping on every news story is not helping you.
I'll fix it real good for a paltry $200,000.00!
Just think of all the money you will save.
"Just tryin' to help out..."
Ya, it is the kids fault. Who is responsible for the kids? The parents, that's who. Are kids overindulged in this town? Yes. Are the parents overindulged in this town? Maybe. I'll let you answer that question.
So what do you people really want to do about it? Buy your way out of it? Sure. Just another million bucks. Shucks, just a tiny fraction of a North Douglas crossing. So what's the big deal?
A million bucks would be a big deal, if you had to pay for it out of your pocket, and if you realized what that value really was.
Does Anyone Remember?
Wow Juneau.... I'm a bit disappointed! Does no one remember the man the field is named for? The countless students he taught, the boys who grew to become men on his football team, and the community brought together by supporting our youth and neighbors? Well I sure as hell do and his name is Rielly Ritchie. He was not only my gym teacher from kindergarten through my senior year of high school, whose curriculum always included square-dancing because "you have to work as a pair AND as a team". But he was my coach, and he taught us all: RIENG!!
Respect Is Earned Not Given. And that principle has been taught long before I walked onto that field and is still being taught, long after walked off, a graduate. That turf field was built thanks to the efforts of a small group of people who worked tirelessly and made a dream, into a reality.
And that field... built 11 years ago... has been utilized since DAY 1 by almost every school in our community, countless other youth sports programs, as well as various adult sports and community events. The person or people who damaged the field should be held accountable and monetarily responsible. But regardless, if those people aren't caught and brought to justice, the field should be repaired and/or replaced.
To those of you complaining about the price tag, or criticizing JPD (as if they don't already have an entire city to protect too), or blaming parents who should control their children and know the "who, what, when, and where" AT ALL TIMES (no argument here)... Yes, those of you who have an opinion about Rielly Ritchie Field yet have never used it or been impacted by it... You can take that opinion and shove it!! The turf field is not just a "thing", it's a huge part of our community and it deserves the Respect It's Earned!!
Love you Coach Ritchie!! RIENG
And About The ATV's
I love riding, a park would be awesome, but it's not an option for CBJ.
If anyone had done their homework before commenting endlessly on the subject and complaining an ATV park isn't being built.... they would know the cost of insurance would be impossible to afford and CBJ cannot be liable for something as dangerous as an ATV Park.
REGARDLESS OF A NO LIABILITY WAIVER THEY CAN STILL BE HELD LIABLE!!! Ask a lawyer if you don't believe me...
I'm working with a group of downhill mountain bikers to get the Eaglecrest lift operational in the summer for a biking "park" and these are things we have to deal with. An ATV park will never happen as a public project. It will have to be privately funded and operated. Stop blaming CBJ.
I don't see anywhere that
I don't see anywhere that ATVs are mentioned in the story? :S