Cinderella Park reopened Wednesday after a local volunteer donated his time and professional skills to repair a playground structure damaged by fireworks and a second act of vandalism.
Cookeville Director of Leisure Services Chad McDonald originally said due to the age of the equipment, it was uncertain if repairs would be possible.
“We had a community member, Ryan Gardner, call us, and he’s a local who is a plastic welder,” McDonald said. “And he said he could repair that for us, so, free of charge.”
McDonald said an individuals detonated fireworks on the dinosaur climbing ladder during Fourth of July celebrations, leaving a large hole in the molded plastic structure and forcing the city to close the equipment for safety.
“It’s all molded plastic that’s been there for quite some time, but children love it, of course,” McDonald said. “And there was some activity on July 4th in the park with fireworks and an individual set off fireworks on that play structure and it damaged that plastic structure quite a bit.”
Before Gardner was able to begin repairs, the playground was vandalized a second time on July 18. McDonald said individuals tore down protective barricades surrounding the damaged equipment and caused additional damage to the already broken structure, delaying the reopening.
“It’s really frustrating and disheartening,” McDonald said. “We deal with it in all of our parks.”
McDonald said the Cookeville Police Department has made one arrest in connection with the July 4 fireworks incident and continues investigating the July 18 vandalism.
“The police are a great asset to the city and they’re very professional,” McDonald said. “And they’ve done a good job in helping us with the first investigation on the 4th, and they’re still investigating the incident on the 18th.”
McDonald said the dinosaur climbing ladder has now been fully repaired and reopened to the public. He encouraged residents to help protect the city’s parks because they belong to the entire community.
“Just take care of the parks like you own them because you do,” McDonald said.
