Colorado veterans' memorial vandalized for 10th time in 2 years, park officials say

A local veterans' memorial in Colorado was vandalized with graffiti just one day after Veterans Day, and repairs could cost up to $3,000. County officials say the site has been vandalized 10 times in the last two years.

It happened at the Adams County Veterans Memorial in Brighton on Wednesday, park officials and law enforcement say.

"This is actually a replica of the USS Colorado battleship from World War II," said Byron Fanning, parks director for Adams County.

Fanning said the memorial is meant to honor those who gave their lives in service of the country.

"This is such a great place for people to come and reflect and really get deep into thought," he said.

But only a day after residents adorned the memorial with flowers in honor of those who served, Fanning woke up to another round of damage.

"It's really frustrating," he said. "It hurts my heart when it happens."

"It's very disrespectful to the community, especially those who serve," Fanning added.

County officials blurred the graffiti in photos shared with the public. Paint was splashed throughout the ship replica, including on the cannons and a bench.

"The way it was applied, it dripped down through them," Fanning said. "We've had to take the bench completely apart and rebuild it."

"In addition to that, they did some damage to our restrooms," he said. "They broke the backflow valve on the toilet, and unfortunately, we have a system that runs water into a vault in these restrooms, so we had to pump out the vault, which is really expensive."

The memorial has become "a sacred space" for many in Adams County and beyond, drawing roughly 60,000 visitors each year, county leaders said.

"What you're doing is dishonoring veterans who served, gave their lives, gave their time, and defended this country," Fanning said. "It is absolutely the wrong message to be damaging something that honors them."

Crews continue working to wash away the remaining graffiti.

"It's probably between $2,500 and $3,000," Fanning said of the repair costs.

Fanning urged the community to help protect the memorial.

"Whoever's doing this, please stop," he said. "And help us take care of it."

The parks department is working with the Adams County Sheriff's Office to increase patrols in the area at night, and officials plan to install security cameras.