Vandals taking a toll on Wai'anae

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer

Police in Wai'anae are investigating a rash of late-night vandalism in recent weeks that has left shattered plate glass and losses in the thousands of dollars at several Wai'anae Coast facilities, including Wai'anae District Park's Multi-Purpose Room and the Wai'anae Boys and Girls Club.

The Boys and Girls club was hit twice last month, and the resulting repairs have ended up diverting money that otherwise would have gone to recreation and learning programs.

"The sad thing with this whole situation is that I spent almost $4,000 so far just to repair that glass," Kimo Bajet, clubhouse director, said in an e-mail sent to police and forwarded to numerous residents and organizations. "Now this is $4,000 that should be going to our youth at the club."

Officer Avery Choy, with the HPD in Wai'anae, said the latest incidents appear to have happened at around the same time, either late Wednesday evening or early on Thursday. She said both incidents appear to be vandalism because there was no entry at either the park facility or the club.

"It was big damage," Choy said.

Jackie Spencer, park supervisor, said the multipurpose room has been struck several times, including on three separate occasions last month. Glass at the facility was broken from the outside on Oct. 9, again Oct. 17 and once more on Oct. 30, she said.

"Right now all four door panes are broken," Spencer said. "That's $6,000 right there. And each of the three broken windows cost $1,200 — so we're looking at almost $10,000."

That figure doesn't include previous damage. Spencer said in late January or early February three windows were broken at the building in one night.

"The same night they broke our windows they did the Wai'anae Intermediate library as well as the Wai'anae High School library," Spencer said. "We're not sure who's doing it, but it's frustrating. As long as all these windows and doors are boarded up, it just looks so trashy."

Similar damage was done at the Boys and Girls Club on Oct. 10, said Wahi Tulafale, director of the club's learning center.

"They hit us twice, I'm not sure why," Tulafale said. "It looks like they used a bat to bust the glass doors. The glass all shattered into the club."

During the first incident, in addition to breaking the four glass windows, outside trash cans were overturned and rubbish was scattered across the grounds. In the Thursday incident, the two plate-glass doors were broken.

Call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.