The vandal-damaged slide at Demorest Springs Park will soon be replaced with a shiny new one. The city plans to install the new slide next week.
The project cost $1,800 and took seven months to complete. The slide had to be manufactured and it took three tries before the right slide arrived.
Demorest City Manager Mark Musselwhite says the initial replacement slide arrived in September and was promptly installed. However, there was a problem with the fiberglass and the manufacturer recalled it. As a result, the replacement slide had to be replaced.
Then, the subsequent replacement arrived in the wrong color.
Recently, the city received the third and correctly colored slide. That is the one that Musselwhite says will be installed next week.
Vandals
Sometime between the end of May and early June of this year, vandals busted a hole in the old slide. Unfortunately, the city was made aware of the damage only after a young girl was injured. She was visiting the park with her grandmother and went down the damaged slide, cutting her leg.
In response, the city council decided to install cameras at Demorest Springs Park to deter vandalism and enhance overall safety.
The new pavilion, part of the recent ribbon-cutting event, features cameras mounted on the outside to provide surveillance for the new facility and playground.
