Sydney Mines hit with spate of graffiti

People in Sydney Mines, N.S., are upset about a number of large graffiti tags that have appeared in the Cape Breton community in recent weeks.

The latest target was the ballpark complex on Pitt Street. Vandals tagged two dugout shelters that were newly installed last year by Sydney Mines and District Little League.

"They cost $5,000 each," said president June Bradley. "And somebody decided ... to paint graffiti all over the newly erected dugouts.

"It makes you mad because you try to do so much for the community, and you have somebody that takes the time to come down and do this," she said.

The downtown has also seen its share of fresh graffiti.

"Some of the business people are quite upset," said Gordon MacDonald, CBRM councilor for the area.

"One building was the doctor's office. They sprayed over their doctor's hours and signs. So that's not conducive to be able to do good business in the town," he said.

Bradley is particularly concerned about the vandalism of Dr. Michel McKeough's office on Main Street.

"He's getting up there in age. And he's the only doctor that we have really. And his office has been tagged like this numerous times," she said.

"It's so disheartening, because ... what happens if he just comes in one day and says, 'That's it'? And then we're going to be without a doctor."

MacDonald said police have been notified of the tags in the downtown, and he'll follow up to make sure they're aware of the latest incidents at the ball field.