Staff writer
A pickup game of street-ball gone wrong, an unknown vandal who can dunk, a wannabe baller, or a pack of little punks?
The responsible party may never be known, but city officials are dealing with the fallout of a damaged basketball goal in Central Park.
“We’re not pointing any fingers, but it’s just sad,” Marion Parks and Recreation director Margo Yates said. “We serve the public. It’s in a public place. People use it and want it fixed.”
The recent damage seems to be part of a recurring problem.
In the past, officials tagged backboards with a message imploring the public to refrain from theatrical dunks, Yates said.
It reads, “Please don’t hang on rim. If broken, kids will be the losers.”
However, kids are not the only losers when it comes to repairing city property.
“Frankly, as taxpayers, people should be concerned with the time and labor that goes into fixing city property,” Yates said. “We take a lot of pride in these facilities, but we’ve had vandalism in the new bathrooms, broken park benches, lights, and other things that the city guys have to fix when they could be working on other projects.”
The goal is scheduled to be re-welded soon, she said.