WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Vandals hit another Wichita public pool causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Wichita Aquatics Supervisor Joe Marten shows KAKE News the damage caused by vandals to the pool at Orchard Park in west Wichita.

"That's kind of where they smashed up our guttering," said Marten. "We’ve got spray-painted graffiti on this side over here. We believe it could be gang-related."

It may not look that bad, but a hole in the pool's main drain will cost $5,000 to $10,000 to fix.

"You have to replace the whole drain, " said Marten. "We can't just replace portions of it because the drain is certified for ten years."

And unfortunately, the city just replaced the drain in 2021.

"It's really sad to see because it hurts these communities that these pools are in because it could affect whether or not they are open for the summer," said Marten.

The vandalism is part of a long string of problems at pools and parks across Wichita. Last year alone, police investigated at least 20 different cases. McAfee Pool was forced to close in July because of the damage there.

"It's frustrating for sure because we see vandals, especially at the city pools which are property to be enjoyed by everybody," said Officer Trevor Macy. "It's something that affects everybody in the community and we want to get to the bottom of it."

City workers discovered the damage at Orchard Park early enough to get it all repaired and painted over before public pools are set to open on Memorial Day, but seeing this is heartbreaking and costly to taxpayers.

"Stop please," said Marten. "I mean, it's not fun for us to come in and fix this. It's not fun for us to look at this and say 'Is this going to delay our opening'. Is this going to affect the neighborhood that it's in?"

The City Council voted to buy security cameras for the pools last year, but workers are still waiting for parts to get the systems up and running. If you know anything about this case, call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. You could be eligible for a cash reward.