By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Grinches are real. The bright white holiday lights strung in the trees along the streets of downtown Port Angeles were targeted by a vandal Friday night or early Saturday morning.
According to Kiwanian Tim Crowley, the damage done was extensive and widespread.
“Because of the large area, you know, we’re not talking a few trees. We’re talking blocks and blocks of area that was damaged. And then the strings were all over the sidewalk and broken glass and bits of wire and a lot of it was live wires hanging down from the trees and whatnot. So, yeah, it took us at least 2 hours just to unplug everything and gather up all the broken strings.”
The merchants of the Downtown Association fund the effort every year, and then contract members of the Olympic Kiwanis Club to do the work.
Damage was to 21 trees and 19 light poles with a total of 50 strings cut or ripped, making them unfixable. Crowley estimates the cost of repairs came to about $500.
“Fortunately, we had some nice weather yesterday, beautiful day. So we got out yesterday morning, about eight of us, and it took us a few hours but we repaired all the damage.”
Areas targeted that night were Front Street in the block near Olympic Stationers, the Gateway Center, the half block of Front where the ice-skating rink sets up, both sides of Laurel near the Events Center construction site, and on North Lincoln in front of several restaurants.
A police report was filed and the Downtown Association has been notified in hopes that one of the business’ security camera may have captured something useful to police.
Banner Photo: Olympic Kiwanians Frank Bruni and Tim Crowley work to repair damage caused by vandals.
Photos by Tim Crowley