“We’ve had families that have been just devastated by it,” says Melanie Turcotte, sustainability clerk for the City of Dawson Creek. “It’s been really hard for people.”
Turcotte says seven benches have been found to have their plaque removed, but they’re still checking. One bench the vandals failed to get the plaque off but damaged the bench. On some, in addition to having the plaque removed, were written on with chalk.
She also says she’s heard in other communities of plaques being stolen from cemeteries, and says they are checking to see if any have been removed from the Dawson Creek cemetery. Volunteers will be checking all the rocks and benches on the walking path from Main Street to the Rotary.
The removal of the plaque celebrating the park was a blow to the Dawson Creek Beautification Committee, who made the park happen.
“I feel sorry that people need to destroy rather than create,” says member Frances Adams.
“It’s very sad, very upsetting,” says member Brenda Kreutzer. “It’s very disappointing to think that people will come in here and deface something that people have put in as a memory of somebody or that we have made this whole park a peace park.”
That plaque had previously been stolen two or three years after its initial installation 25 years ago, but hasn’t been touched again, before this.
Turcotte suspects the thieves were melting down the metal to sell it.
“The police are aware of it, DC Recycling - they buy metal - so they’re aware of it,” she says.
From the Grand Forks Gazette