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Vandalism strikes the Fort

Businesses and residences were damaged by a recent rash of vandalism in Fort St. James.

Businesses and residences were damaged by a recent rash of vandalism.

A window of the Fort St. James Bicentennial Library was broken during the night of June 23 or early in the morning of June 24, causing over $500 in damages to the library alone.

The vandals broke a window with a brick and the brick struck the opposite wall as well, damaging the wall.

“There was glass everywhere,” said Diana Uhrick, head librarian, who said it was especially worrying the glass was in the children’s reading area, where normally babies and toddlers would be crawling on the floor. Now the library has posted  warnings, just in case tiny pieces of glass might still be hiding in the carpet in places.

Uhrick said she is especially disappointed the expensive damage occurred at a place which provides free services to the community, disrupting these services for the community.

Nine windows were also broken at the Fort St. James High School on the same night, costing taxpayers over $3,000 to repair those damages, according to Dalphena Snively, executive assistant to facilities for School District 91.

Snively said it has been years since they have had windows broken, and many years since a large number were broken at once.

While the RCMP officer heading up the investigation was not available to give further details, the release states the RCMP “are putting considerable effort and resources into locating the person or group of people that are responsible for committing these acts of mischief.”

 

The RCMP are also requesting assistance from the public, and anyone having any information about the vandalism which took place in town can call the local detachment at 250-996-8269 or stop by the station.