Community cared-for Queen's Dock Park in Sandwich Towne a popular target for vandals

Windsor's harbour master is left wondering what will happen next.

Peter Berry is frustrated by the mess left at a newly minted public park at the end of Mill Street in Sandwich Towne.

After being unveiled just three months ago, vandals have caused thousands of dollars in damage at Queen's Dock Park.

"Someone lit one of the garbage cans on fire, and we were starting to see more garbage," said Berry, who is also the director of harbour operations at the Windsor Port Authority.

Berry said the damage is ruining the community space.

"Somebody graffitiedthe benches, and now this past weekend, somebody brought in a couple of dozen eggs and smeared them on the benches and then covered it with cake," he said. "So now they're so dirty, you can't sit on them because of the ants and the bees. Then someone took the time to dump a can of white paint on the concrete patio there."

Community cared-for

Queen's Dock is not a city park. The land is owned by the Windsor Port Authority, and it's taken care of primarily by members of theSandwich Teen Action Group. Berry said they'll have added work to do.

It took four years and about $400,000 to build the park, which sits on a historic property which was formerly a busy working dock.

It's also one of the few accessible areas where people can enjoy the riverfront in the city's west end, said Berry.

Berry said it's up to the police to do something about the vandalism. The port authority plans to install more lighting, because it believes the acts are happening after dark.