PEORIA, AZ — A popular West Valley park is in the dark after someone cut electrical wires to most of the lights at Paloma Park on Wednesday morning.
Peoria police say eight electrical boxes were damaged, leaving families scrambling as evening games and activities were canceled.
The city estimates repairs will cost between $30,000 and $40,000, but for parents like Madeline Frascone, the biggest impact is the disappointment felt by their kids.
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“We are supposed to have all of our games, but even though the crew is working on it, they are not able to get them back up. So all of the kids are going to be unable to play this weekend,” Frascone said.
The park is a hub for families, especially after school and into the evening, making the outage a significant disruption.
Some leagues are working on backup plans, but with a packed schedule, making up missed games and practices will be a challenge.
The city has not provided a timeline for repairs, and police have not yet identified a suspect. Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Peoria Parks and Recreation Director Chris Calcaterra provided the following statement to ABC15:
"We had extensive electrical vandalism to our field and amenity lighting electrical boxes.
Crews are working on the full extent of the damages and are uncovering additional areas where the wiring has been cut into the conduit and may require wire pulling new wire to re-energize.
An ETA for full repairs is not set as of yet. They are working to restore power to the parking lot and walkway lighting as priority (safety)."
