Perry County leaders condemn vandalism at local recreation facilities
Vandalism at Perry County recreation sites will pull money from parks used by Hazard-area families, leagues and visitors. County leaders said the damage hits shared spaces and budgets.
Perry County officials condemned vandalism at outdoor recreation facilities, saying the damage does more than leave behind a cleanup bill. It takes money away from maintenance and improvements at places families, youth sports teams and weekend visitors depend on across Hazard and the rest of the county.
Perry County Park shows what is at stake. The county park includes a walking track, skateboard park, basketball courts, five picnic shelters, baseball and softball fields, a stage area, an outdoor pool, a boat ramp and more than 6 miles of trails. County tourism material also lists a twice-weekly farmers market there, making the site one of the busiest shared spaces in Perry County when summer use is at its peak.
The county has spent years promoting that network of outdoor amenities as part of its identity. Perry County Pathfinders held a fundraiser for outdoor recreation and unveiled trail rebranding in November 2024, and tourism material describes Hazard and Perry County as Kentucky Trail Towns for hikers, paddlers and other outdoor recreation users. Perry County Park trails were opened to the public in 2019, and local officials have also promoted a kayak race as part of Fourth of July festivities in Hazard, underscoring how heavily the area leans on outdoor spaces during summer.
That makes vandalism more than a nuisance. Damage to public recreation sites can force staff to shift time and money away from routine upkeep, and repairs can interfere with games, family outings and other uses that keep the facilities active. Officials also want residents to help protect shared public assets by reporting suspicious activity before small acts of damage turn into larger closures and higher repair costs.
Perry County has seen how quickly access can be interrupted when local infrastructure is damaged or closed for other reasons. KY 2021 in Perry County was set to close temporarily in 2022, and flooding and mudslides affected Hazard and Perry County in 2021. Against that backdrop, county leaders are treating vandalism as a community cost that can ripple through parks, tourism and the public budget long after the damage is first discovered.
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