Achi news desk-
It’s a family favorite on the outskirts of Calgary, but the owners of Cobb’s Adventure Park are feeling anything but fun as they prepare to open for the season.
“We wanted to vomit. It’s heartbreaking. There is a lot of damage here,” said Mike Sheppard, who owns the Park with his wife Maureen Sheppard.
The adventure park was hit by vandals causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages. A winter storage tent is littered with shards of glass after windows have been smashed out of antique cars and a new tractor.
“This is a tractor we bought brand new two years ago. We’re still paying for it, and they broke every glass inside the taro,” Mike said.
“They crushed in this roof, jumped on the back … I’ve been in (the automotive industry) it’s probably going to cost $20,000 to fix.
“It makes me want to cry. It is difficult, very difficult, to think that people want to do this. My wife and I love this place. We have never taken wages from him. The park is not making enough to take wages,”
A winter storage tent is littered with shards of glass after windows have been smashed out of antique cars and a new tractor.
Jayme Doll/Global News
Mike and Maureen said they filed a police report, the RCMP said in an emailed statement to Global News that there were no suspects, no evidence and no surveillance so the file was closed.
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Mounties are encouraging home and business owners to install motion lights and surveillance cameras to protect their property. Cobb’s Adventure Park has two in some parts of the property but unfortunately they are not near the storage tent. The owners are now trying to increase its security system but it is not a cheap task.
“It’s going to be difficult we will probably have to take out a personal loan to pay for this damage and it will probably affect how many staff we can afford,” said Maureen.
“It would be nice if the police could do something about it … they could come and take fingerprints. It’s frustrating.”
The animals that call the farm home were not affected. But the Sheppards still fear what the future might hold. They plan to open the May long weekend, but it may have to be without the crowd favorite for now at least.
