COCHRANE— The west side of the recently opened Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge has been vandalized by graffiti.
Cochrane RCMP was informed of the graffiti in mid-December, said RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.
“It’s really unfortunate there’s some graffiti to do with Trump, it’s random and generic and multi-coloured,” Savinkoff said. “It’s really horrible and disappointing to see.”
Officers are investigating the incident and are asking members of the public with any information on the vandalism to contact Cochrane RCMP or Crimestoppers.
Overall graffiti is not as abundant in Cochrane as other communities but still does occur, Savinkoff said. He noted the Town of Cochrane works hard to repair acts of vandalism as quickly as possible and this does help in fostering pride in the community while discouraging acts of vandalism.
He noted racial graffiti was located down on the paths by the river and vandalism to play structures in town has also been reported. RCMP are continuing to investigate.
“It’s really unfortunate we’ve got a beautiful bridge and now people will have to look at that every time they go out,” Savinkoff said.
The Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge opened to the public on Oct. 15. The $54 million project is the largest infrastructure to date accomplished by the Town and was funded through off-site levies and provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative grants.
The Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge will be featuring blue lights in honour of Calgary Police Service officer Sgt. Andrew Harnett who was killed in the line of duty on New Year’s Eve.
The bridge began lighting blue lights on Monday (Jan. 14).
"Our community relies on the dedication of law enforcement officers and all emergency responders to keep Cochrane safe,” said Mayor Jeff Genung in a press release. “This is a life needlessly taken; lighting our bridge in his honour shows our support, and I hope, serves as a reminder to everyone about the preciousness of life and the situations our first responders place themselves in on our behalf.”
