Vandals Cause Minor Damage to Imagination Kingdom in Pemberton

including the posts.

“They literally sliced in half the other slats,” Hornickel maintained.

It is believed the vandalism, which he noted “has been reported,” occurred sometime in the last week of January.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

D.

PEMBERTON—Vandals recently targeted what is considered one of the state’s top ten playgrounds in New Jersey, or Imagination Kingdom in Pemberton Township, the Pine Barrens Tribune has learned.

“Regrettably, we experienced a small quantity of vandalism at Imagination Kingdom,” said Business Administrator Daniel Hornickel at a recent Pemberton Township Council meeting.

According to the business administrator, the vandals damaged a vinyl split rail fence,

Firefighters

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There was also the cost of such a project to consider. According to William’s mother, Joy Dozier, he originally estimated that the shed would cost $4,200 to build, so he canvassed neighborhoods, used social media, and called businesses in the area to solicit donations, specifically for building materials and supplies, as well as creating a GoFundMe page.

Because of the generous donations of building materials he received, she said, he only needed to raise an additional $1,335 through GoFundMe. Business establishments that contributed

“It is kind of discouraging that at a beautiful park like Imagination Kingdom, we had a few knuckleheads, probably who live in town, that did the damage,” Hornickel declared.

Fun New Jersey Magazine previously selected Imagination Kingdom as the “Number One Awesome Playground Throughout NJ” in its Top Ten list. SJ Magazine also listed it as number one in its list of “10 South Jersey Playgrounds the Kids Will Love.”

Hornickel told this newspaper that “the damage has been repaired” by Buildings and Grounds staff, but it cost the township “a few hundred dollars in materials.” to the effort, Joy Dozier noted, included ABC Lumber in Hainesport, which provided siding at a discount, Spotts Hardware in Medford which contributed a gift card for paint, A.Z. Lawncare & Tree Service in Tabernacle which donated rocks, and UFP Industries, Inc., in Berlin, which she credited with having saved the group “a tremendous amount of money,” by donating “all the walls and trusses,” which she said had to be hauled back to the firehouse using a flatbed truck that belonged to one of the fire company’s members.

“No one has been identified as having caused the vandalism,” he reported, noting that the township will try to point some of its cameras on the playground.

Work on the shed, which commenced at the beginning of last summer, is now about to be completed, Mitchell told this newspaper, with only the installation of a roll-up door, which