A Mountain View park reopened Tuesday after Hawaii County finally replaced stolen equipment.
Glenwood Park, located on Highway 11, was closed in March 2019 after a 3,000-gallon water tank, which supplies water to the park’s restrooms, was stolen.
At the time, county Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina estimated that it would cost over $5,000 to replace the tank and repair the damaged water lines. The tank also had been the subject of frequent vandalism before 2019, with people draining the tank, stealing its lid and possibly contaminating the water.
Parks and Rec spokesman Thatcher Moats on Tuesday said the tank was never recovered from the 2019 theft, nor were the perpetrators ever identified. However, because of other funding obligations, replacing the tank took a longer time than anticipated.
Moats said the tank was replaced at a cost of $18,600, which also included installing bollards and other measures around the tank to prevent future thefts or vandalism.
“We appreciate the public’s patience as we strive to keep our parks open, safe, and free of vandalism and theft,” Messina said in a statement.
The newly reopened park’s hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.