Crime of passion

Shawville’s Mill Dam Park sink allegedly damaged by young couple

Connor Lalande
Shawville July 31, 2023
One of the washroom sinks at Shawville’s Mill Dam Park was damaged last Monday in what can only be described as a suspected crime of passion.
In a conversation with THE EQUITY Shawville Mayor Bill McCleary said that a sink and its plumbing were damaged on the evening of July 31, with repair costs in the range of a couple hundred dollars.
After reviewing footage from a surveillance camera on the exterior of the washroom, McCleary wrote in a Facebook post that he was surprised at what he saw.
“What I was expecting to see was a group of teenagers,” wrote McCleary. “What I did see was a handful of people using the washrooms from 5 p.m. (after the final check of the day) to about 6:30. Nothing until 8:35 when a young couple both entered the east side washroom (where the sink and plumbing were damaged).
“They emerged 9 minutes later.”
“I can only guess what happened in the 9 minute span other than the fact that the sink can’t support a lot of weight,” wrote a tongue-in-cheek McCleary.
McCleary left it up to readers to infer what could have transpired during those infamous nine minutes, but conveyed his dismay that the alleged offenders took no action to rectify the situation.
“Rather happy that it wasn’t vandalism,” wrote McCleary. “But disappointed that it wasn’t reported and an offer made to pay for damage.”
For privacy reasons, neither McCleary nor the Municipality of Shawville will be releasing surveillance footage of the incident.