Vandalism Rocks Community At Minnehaha Park
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Wheel Fun Rentals set up a temporary table and cash register near the falls so they could still do business.
"There's a lot of memories in that small shack," manager Will Goodnow said.
Employees found just a shell of a shack Monday morning.
"It's just a small business trying to make its way, to grow and what-not and someone's trying to get in the way of that," Goodnow said.
The light pole around it melted. The leaves were left charred. Goodnow said the company that rents bikes near Minnehaha Falls lost upwards of $10,000 in a fire Park Police believe was intentionally set.
"Most all of our bike helmets were in there. We had two cash registers, those are very expensive. There was also quite a lot of cash in there, and that was all burned up in the fire too," Goodnow said.
The manager of nearby Sea Salt Eatery said the restaurant was damaged too.
"We can only speculate, is that they took a big rock and smashed one of my windows. Luckily enough I have really good glass," manager Joshua Peterson said.
He's more upset about what happened to his neighbors.
"This type of vandalism is just unnecessary and it's really sad. It marks the entire community," Peterson said.
Goodnow says the shack was going to be replaced at the end of the summer. The act of arson sped up the timeline.
"It's a very dramatic way for it to go," Goodnow said.
Police said the historic Stevens Home also was damaged overnight.
Police ask if you have any information, to call the tip line at 612-692-TIPS.
