Ogdensburg police are investigating overnight vandalism at two city park playgrounds with damage at one of them estimated at between $2,000 and $3,000.

Police were notified Tuesday morning. The damage was done at the New York Avenue and Grove Street parks.

City Parks and Recreation Director Matthew J. Curatolo said Wednesday that the New York Avenue park was hardest hit and sustained the $2,000 to $3,000 in damage. It included a bent picnic table and hard plastic slides that were scraped and gouged with a sharp object, latterly resulting in a hole.

“They must have used some kind of tool,” Mr. Curatolo said.

At the park on Grove Street, burn marks and a swastika were found on a slide. They have since been removed.

“That was sick,” Mr. Curatolo said.

Mr. Curatolo said the dollar estimate is just that. For now.

“We won’t know until we order the (slide) parts,” he said.

Mr. Curatolo has been in this predicament before.

Earlier this year Grove Street Park and the city’s skateboard park in the Greenbelt were vandalized. Mr. Curatolo has suggested security cameras at the latter site. Meanwhile, his plans to enhance the playgrounds are on hold because the money to pay for the improvements will likely be spent on something else.

“I want to expand the playgrounds,” Mr. Curatolo said, “But now it’s going to be spent on repairs.”

And, again, property damage is the least of his concerns.

“The only people that these vandals are hurting are the youth of Ogdensburg,” Mr. Curatolo said.

Anyone who has information on the playground vandalism is asked to call the police department at 393-1551.

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