There’s nothing quite like adding insult to injury.
Just as we were about to publish a story about the library and cultural centre nearing its final completion—three years overdue and $1.5 million over budget—the fax machine churned out a press release from the Jasper RCMP, informing us that the long beleaguered building was vandalized during the early morning hours of April 19.
The construction site was broken into, graffiti was spray painted on the walls and several fire extinguishers were discharged around the property.
With just two hours before deadline, we had to make a decision to remove our story about the library’s progress—which was already on the page ready to be sent to the printers—and replace it with a story about the damages, estimated to cost more than $5,000.
In part, we removed the original story because we’re convinced no one reads our updates anymore—there have been more than 30 in the last four years, after all—but also because we no longer knew if what we were reporting would remain accurate in light of the damages.
The municipality has assured us that the vandals’ mess will cause no further delays to the building, but after years of holdups and endless difficulties securing sub-contractors to complete the remaining work in the building, it's hard not to wonder whether this incident could create further challenges for the municipality, as well as the contractors on site.
It’s heart wrenching to think that, just as there was good news to report on the troubled project, an evening of ill-advised revelry could delay the project even further.
In recent months, it finally seemed like we were getting somewhere, but then this.
When the shovel hit the ground four years ago, the library began as a historical building, with a history much different than the one it has today.
The last four years have created a winding and endlessly frustrating history, full of construction blunders and surprises that are not soon to be forgotten.
The RCMP has apprehended and charged two men with multiple counts of mischief, as well as breaking and entering in relation to the vandalism in the library. They will appear in Jasper Provincial Court April 28.
Unfortunately, by the time the case makes its way through the justice system, the damage will likely be long gone—scrubbed away and painted over.
We hope the vandals, whether convicted or not, will choose to clean up their own mess, so they can fully appreciate the damage they’ve caused and take responsibility for their foolhardy decisions—decisions that have merely added insult to injury.
