Southside Park vandalized again; officials seek leads

TYLER — This past week, for the second time this year, vandals struck Tyler’s Southside Park. According to a Tyler Parks and Rec Facebook post, several pieces of playground equipment were ripped out or broken. Several signs were pulled up and thrown over bridges into creeks, and trash cans were overturned, with litter left all over the grounds. If you have any information on this incident, you’re asked to call or message the Parks and Rec Department. If you live in the neighborhood and have a camera system and notice anything out of the ordinary, officials ask you to send it to the department.

The playground, provided by Tyler Area Ambucs, was specifically designed to be accessible to disabled children. The post continues, “This playground took a long time to build and was only able to happen with many community partners and sponsors! To fix the broken pieces will not be cheap and to cleanup the park was very time consuming. We hope to find those responsible for the damages but it will take the community to help us.” You can click this link for any additional information and updates. Click here to listen to a KTBB “In Focus” show on Ambucs and its work, including the Southside Park playground. The men’s restroom at the park was hit with vandalism on January 8.