By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
The Yarmouth Rural RCMP launched an arson investigation after 14 golf carts were destroyed or damaged by fire at the West Pubnico Golf and Country Club on Wednesday night, Aug. 4.
The cost of the damage was estimated at around $100,000.
And the arson is just the latest in a growing list of ongoing damage the golf course has had to deal with over the past year and a half, according to the club’s manager.
Staff and patrons of the golf club, and members of the community, were angered by this most recent case of senseless damage, said Sergeant Michel Lacroix.
“A lot of people are not happy,” he said Thursday morning. “You’re looking at over $100,000 in damage. It’s unfortunate.”
The destroyed carts were owned by private citizens, many of them seniors.
The RCMP were alerted to the fire at around 11:30 p.m. Sgt. Lacroix said two residents noticed the fire a short time earlier.
“When they saw this they moved some of the carts around to avoid further damage,” he said. Sgt. Lacroix said early in their investigation the police determined the fire was deliberately set.
“We know it’s arson,” said Sgt. Lacroix.
Aside from the golf carts, there was no other damage at the club – at least not this time. But club manager Ken Jacquard said that vandalism at the course is an ongoing problem.
“In the last year and a half it’s been crazy. We’ve had a lot of damage,” he said. “We had three golf carts written off, smashed, because someone was playing bumper cars in the parking lot. Two others were damaged. We’ve had damage on the course. It’s just continually.”
The golf club has installed security cameras and it has had to deal with the RCMP on many occasions. Following this latest incident, Jacquard said they will be taking more security steps.
“We’re going to install more lighting, more cameras,” he said. “But it’s hard because we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
The golf course opened for the season in mid March and its season runs to the end of October.
“It’s been a busy season,” Jacquard said. “But this is killing your top end, when you start spending money you didn’t have to spend.”
The RCMP are seeking the public’s assistance in their arson investigation. Anyone who may have information was being asked to call the rural detachment at 742-9106 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
