Exasperation as vandals obliterate slopitch porta-potty

Yellowknife slopitch organizers are “frustrated and disheartened” after a summer-long campaign of vandalism against a porta-potty used by the league.

The portable toilet at the Parker Park ball diamonds, already targeted several times this year, was entirely wiped out this week – except for a pool of its gooey, plastic remains.

Richard Keppel, president of the Yellowknife Slopitch Association, discovered the mess on Tuesday. The evidence suggests someone melted it.

“It has happened on a couple of prior occasions but not to this extreme,” Keppel told Cabin Radio.

On the first occasion, vandals knocked over the porta-potty. In response, the league bolted it down, only for the culprits to take off the bolts and knock it down again.

Finally, two months ago, the league erected large, concrete barriers to keep the porta-potty in place.

“I assumed everything was fine – until this,” said Keppel.

“I went out to winterize the porta-potty. I’m driving up toward Parker and I could see, from a distance, it wasn’t there. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’

“When I got there, it looked like it had just been lit on fire and melted. I can’t say how, or why.”

Keppel urged anyone with information about what happened this week, or why the porta-potty is being targeted, to come forward. The incident was reported to police.

“It’s frustrating and disheartening. I can’t understand why a person would want to do something like this,” he said.

“It has only been specifically this one porta-potty, maybe because it’s in a secluded area.”

The league does not yet know the extent of the costs it will face to deal with the damage and loss of the unit.

Keppel, though, admitted it may be enough to stop the league providing the facility in future seasons.

“It may come to that,” he said.

“If we’re looking at significant costs, repeatedly… I know this isn’t what members of the league will want to hear, especially when they have kids who come to watch games and need to use the facilities, but it’s something we’ll have to consider.”