The tranquility of a peaceful fishing pier was ruined last week when vandals set fire to a section of the dock on Ballston Lake.
The smell of charred plastic still hung in the air Friday after part of the free public fishing dock was burned in the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 6. The remote dock, barely visible from Outlet Road, is occupied by people fishing most afternoons and evenings. People also use the site to gain access to the water for canoes and kayaks. With just a scattering of homes and a few farms nearby, no one saw the smoke billowing from the pier.
The pier is made of dense compressed plastic, recycled from previous uses, since treated lumber is not allowed in and around the lake.
Reactions to the act of destruction were swift and heartfelt.
It’s just unbelievable; this had to be a huge fire, said Peter Herman, chair of the Ballston Lake Water Improvement District. `Even the posts were charred and burned. It makes me wonder if some kind of chemical was used to start the flames.`
Town highway Supervisor Joseph Whalen was one of the first called to the scene Thursday morning.
`I got into work and there was a message on the office answering machine that the sheriff’s (department) had reported damage, but I couldn’t believe how bad it was when I saw it,` said Whalen. `Why anyone would do this is beyond me.`
Members of the town board of trustees immediately came together to offer a $300 reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandals, and on Saturday, members of the lake improvement district matched that amount for a total reward of $600. Whalen said the damage to the dock reaches into thousands of dollars, and although the site is insured, the town’s portion of the cost will be at least $1,000.
`It’s not just the cost of the materials, but also the time we’ll have to put in to repair the dock,` said Whalen. `We’re working on the roads right now, so it will be at least a week before we get out there, and it will take at least two weeks to fix it.`
The section of the floating dock is now blocked by plywood and a caution sign. Whalen said the work crews could find even more damage beneath the poles that anchor the section of the dock in place.
`A couple years ago, we set long posts in place to keep the dock from shifting when the lake ices over,` said Whalen. `That was the last big project we did there, and now part of that may be ruined and need replacing.`
Beer cans littered the water near the charred dock Friday afternoon. Herman said he has become reluctantly resigned to people using the site to dump trash.
`People think Outlet Road, because it’s tucked away, is a garbage dump, and we can’t put trash cans there because they fill up overnight,` said Herman. `But nothing with damage of this magnitude has ever been done.`
Herman said members of the improvement district have toyed with the idea of setting up a system to patrol the area, but that, like anything else, would take an enormous amount of manpower.
`We’ve talked about a watch system, but the thing is, Ballston Lake is a very tight community, and people watch out for each other,` said Herman. `We really haven’t had a lot of trouble up until now. I love to see people using the dock, and you hate to put a damper on it.`
Whalen said he hesitates to point the finger at kids having parties on the dock, but hopes that justice will be done once the vandals are caught.
`I think part of the punishment should be community service, and have whoever did this out there working to re-build it right alongside us,` said Whalen.“