RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC)– Richmond neighbors are baffled after a custom-built bench was stolen from their community park.
Teresa Cole, board chair of Friends of Fonticello Park, said she discovered the bench was missing on Friday, Nov. 17, from Fonticello Park, located at 2813 Bainbridge Street.
“There were tire marks across the grass. So, we’re assuming somebody drove into the park and was able to load it up,” she said. “It wouldn’t be something that one person would easily be able to carry it out of the park by foot.”
Cole said she also found three port-a-potties knocked over that day.
The Friends of Fonticello Park informed the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation staff about the theft and acts of vandalism.
“They saw it. They liked it. They took it, which is unfortunate because the park is supposed to be here for everybody. [The bench] was something a neighbor had contributed and we had hoped that everybody would have been able to enjoy, so it just feels like a selfish crime,” Cole said.
According to Cole, the bench was built by local arborist — an expert on tree care — Luke Swenson, who carved the bench out of one of the park’s oldest elm trees.
The bench was installed in the pollinator garden as part of ongoing restoration efforts to eventually use it as an outdoor classroom.
“It was just beautiful and unique. It was really a special place to come and sit inside the garden,” Cole said.
Community members posted on social media after the bench’s disappearance to bring awareness to the crime. Cole hopes that the posts will generate tips from the public about the theft.
“It was just a crime of opportunity,” she said. “I’m not interested in prosecuting anybody or getting anybody in trouble, but that was a community space and we would just ask that they return it.”
If you have any information about the bench, email hello@fonticelloparkrva.com.
