Members of the Bradner Community Club are concerned about three incidents of vandalism that have occurred at Bradner Hall and the adjacent sports field since August.
Geoff Birnie, a member of the club who is responsible for maintenance at the hall, said they want citizens to be aware of the incidents and to report any suspicious activity.
Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker confirmed that the vandalism has been reported, and also encouraged residents to keep their eyes open.
The most recent incident occurred on Nov. 15, with an attempted break-in at the hall, located at 5305 Bradner Rd.
Birnie said someone cut a hole in the metal cover of the exhaust fan and then kicked in the fan to get into the adjoining room.
But Birnie said the isolated room does not provide access to the hall, and nothing further was damaged or stolen.
However, he noticed fresh ATV tire marks that led up to the building, and he traced them back to the Bradner elementary school yard and across the playing field.
Birnie said this discovery was important because two prior incidents – occurring one week apart in late August – involved the playing field being damaged by what appeared to have been an ATV doing “doughnuts” across the field.
He said that vehicles are prevented, during off hours, from gaining entry to the field’s parking lot by three posts that are locked in place.
But in this case, the vandals had smashed the lock off the centre post so they could lift it out of place and drive through. Birnie said they even took the post with them when they left.
Volunteers were able to repair the field – which is used for baseball and soccer – but the community club is out $500 for the cost of replacing the exhaust fan at the hall.
Birnie said members are concerned about potential further acts of vandalism.
“Somebody’s got it in their head that they want to do some damage over there,” he said.
Anyone with information or who sees suspicious activity is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text 222973 (abbypd).