Juan de Fuca Columbus Club land in Metchosin has been vandalized for the second time in recent months, when hooligans broke into a lock box and destroyed community gardens.
Columbus Club director Ken Rehman said he doesn’t understand why the gardens, which offer at least a dozen plots to people for a small stipend, were targeted.
“It’s a community garden. I don’t know who they were trying to hurt,” Rehman said.
After gaining access to the Rocky Point Road property with a key from the broken lock box, a vandal or vandals snapped standpipes and support posts throughout the property.
“The posts and standpipes that we replaced after the last act of vandalism were broken again. Even the raspberry support poles in some people’s gardens were bent over and gardens destroyed,” Rehman said.
All the hose bibs were taken, along with the key and gate locks. The gate was left open.
“The first time this happened the water was on and we had a major water loss,” Rehman said.
For now, he says, they’ll wait until the spring to start repairs and get ready for another gardening season.
The Juan de Fuca Columbus Club was under fire in Metchosin after agreeing to let Telus install a cellular phone tower on their land.
Bright yellow signs can be seen along the busy roadway put up by residents who don’t want the tower installed in that area of the district.
When asked if Telus plans to move forward with the tower at that location, Rehman said the group “only knows what we read in the paper.”
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com