A portion of the play structure at Humiston Playground has been closed for several days due to vandalism, according to Recreation Director John Kohlmorgen.

Kohlmorgen said offensive graffiti had been carved into the tunnel on the main play structure. The initial vandalism was covered with a patch, he said, but the original patch was removed and had to be replaced again.

“It’s not ideal,” Kohlmorgen said of having to close a piece of equipment on one of the town’s only playgrounds. “We want to keep the equipment intact.”

The tunnel was announced to be closed on July 26, and Kohlmorgen said it was still closed as of Wednesday morning. The department will be checking the patch to ensure that it is still there and had sufficiently dried to reopen the tunnel, and Kohlmorgen expects the equipment to be back open in the near future.

This isn’t the first time vandals have struck at Humiston Playground. In 2018, vandals disassembled several pieces of playground equipment, loosened the fastenings on others, stole the monkey bar rings and a “no dogs” sign and overturned picnic tables. Three people were arrested in that incident, and charged with criminal mischief and theft.

In a separate incident in 2019, a vandal or vandals used a permanent marker to draw 14 swastikas and obscene words and pictures on playground benches and at the former St. Patrick’s School on Main Street.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.