Mural stolen from skate park, reward offered for its return
A piece of a mural was stolen from Father Marinaro Skate Park.
“We ultimately want it back,” said Cindy Parker, the president of South Side Park Group, which has done extensive work to the park. "We are offering a $100 reward if someone can lead us to the mural."
The piece, discovered missing Sunday, is the right half of a large mural painted by Parker’s son. It features cartoon-like characters in bright colors. The remaining half remains screwed into place on the back of one of the skate park’s ramps.
Parker said the complete version of the mural is about 3 feet tall and 6 feet long, and it’s painted on a heavy sheet of plywood. She said it was stolen within the last week.
“There was a lot of man-hours and talent and labor that went into that. The paint was very expensive,” she said. “That's a big deal for us.”
Parker said the theft occurred alongside vandalism in the form of inappropriate graffiti, though it looked like the illegal artwork was signed by its owner with a social media handle.
Butler Police Chief Robert O’Neill said officers found minor damage to the park facilities and have identified two juveniles they believe were involved. He said the investigation is ongoing.
City councilman Daniel G. Herr said he also inspected the damage and was with Parker when police were called.
“I have every faith in the Butler City Police Department,” he said. “So far, they’ve done a wonderful job in their investigation.”
Herr said he hopes those involved will be held accountable, so it deters future vandalism in the park, which he said has flourished under the supervision of Parker and her nonprofit organization.
"She’s doing a wonderful job,“ Herr said. ”She really has her finger on the pulse of the community down there.“
Parker said when and others in her group began getting involved in 2019, the park was full of graffiti and heavily damaged, especially in the skate park area.
She said to date, about half of the skate park’s equipment has been updated to more safer models. A concession stand has also been renovated and is now operating regularly.
Parker said since the group’s efforts, fewer instances of vandalism have occurred.
“Having the new security cameras down there, it's really helped,” she said. “It's not to the extreme.”
However, she described the latest acts of vandalism as disrespectful toward not only her group, but the countless clubs and businesses who have donated time and money to the park’s revitalization.
"We want to protect those investments," Parker said.
Parker said she hopes the mural is returned, and the community continues to look after the park and its amenities. She said those wishing to do it harm should take the recent investigation as a warning.
"We're planning more events for this summer, more community days and competitions,“ Parker said. ”We take pride in what we do down there, and we won't tolerate people destroying it."
