By MICHAEL WHITNEY
Published August 1, 2012

Vandals halt Howarth Park project
EVERETT – Howarth Park beachgoers will have to keep jostling for a parking spot because vandals stopped the project.
The city closed down the larger lower parking lot because nearby trees uprooted during January’s winter storm, making passage unsafe. People can still access the upper parking lot with less than 30 spaces.
Vandals broke the window of the contractor’s truck used to lift felled trees, and came back later and destroyed the truck’s engine, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.
The first act of vandalism happened July 17. Everett police have no suspects or suspect information at this time, department spokesman Officer Aaron Snell said.
The vandals may have poured sugar into the gas tank, public works director Dave Davis said.
The contractor is working on getting a new engine for the truck, but that ran into delays, Davis said.
The city identified $1,000 in damage, Reardon said. The contractor will lose out the money it costs to replace the engine, she said.           
Crews were working on removing 80 alder trees that were uprooted in landslides caused by January’s heavy snows and winter weather. The road’s been closed since the storms.
“If work can be done sooner, we will absolutely open it sooner,” Reardon said.
The project costs $116,000, Reardon said.