Vandalism, graffiti at Lake Elsinore skate park may lead to its closure

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KABC) -- McVicker Canyon Skate Park is popular with skaters for its bowls, quarter pipes, ledges and ramps.

Recently, the park has become a target of taggers who have defaced the park's concrete, bathrooms, benches and walls.

"The graffiti is unfortunate, but it's not unheard off. We are seeing an alarming amount of it especially at McVicker Park," said Lake Elsinore City Councilwoman Natasha Johnson.

Just this year, the city completed renovations on the park to the delight of amateur skateboarders like John Drinker.

"It's like my second home," said Drinker.

He has noticed the tagging, too.

"For one, it is not the skaters. It's people who come here... taggers, people that are doing drugs, just messing it up for us, and it makes us look bad," he said.

According to the city, the ongoing destruction to the park and other parks in the area is costing the city $10,000 per month.

"Worst case scenario the park closes. Nobody wants to see that, so we are looking to make sure we can button this up and we can keep our park; it's such a beautiful location to keep it open for our community to enjoy," said Johnson.

For now, the city is considering adding extra cameras and stepping up patrols.

In addition the community is being asked to help by reporting any acts of vandalism and discouraging others from doing it. People can contact the Graffiti Hotline at (951) 674-2701, Sheriff Non-Emergency Line at (951) 776-1099 and through the Alert LE app.