SAN ANTONIO – A North Side community center is hoping residents can help them stop the vandals who have been causing costly damage to their property.
Members with Colonies House Pool, Tennis Club and Hall said the acts of vandalism are causing them to have to cut their summer short.
Brian Van Den Heuvel, volunteer treasurer for the center, said the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on July 18, when someone cut the large electrical wires from their electrical breaker box.
“This is the main power supply to the building. Some people would think they would get shocked if they touched it,” he said.
Police don’t have any leads. A few days after the incident, a neighbor found a backpack full of tools and an electrical meter in an alley near the center grounds.
“It looks like it was used for this vandalism,” Van Den Heuvel said.
Last November, vandals jumped a fence, broke doors and damaged property around the grounds.
The board upgraded its security protocol, but vandals found a new weak spot.
The center is run on donations and membership fees. It was on the verge of shutting down a few years ago, and Van Den Heuvel said vandalism really hit them financially.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve been gaining ground just a little bit, and then these incidents happen and it puts us behind,” he said.
Van Den Heuvel said funds that were going to be used to keep the pool open after Labor Day will now be used to make repairs and upgrade security.
“I’d like the community to be aware of the vandalism,” he said.
He’s asking people to help be their eyes and ears.
Colonies House has two fundraisers coming up in the next few weeks.
Painting with a Twist will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and an outdoor yoga class will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 11.
For more information, visit Colonies House’s Facebook page by clicking here.