Vandals damage mural at South Carolina riverfront park

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Police in South Carolina are searching for who vandalized a mural and a historic structure at a popular riverfront park.

A pump house and a recently-dedicated piece of art were among the features spray painted over at the park along the Columbia Canal over the weekend, Columbia police said. The mural called “hydro power” was just about a year old and was commissioned for $13,000 by a Columbia arts group. Vandals scrawled symbols and graffiti over the painting depicting waves, Karen Kustafic, Columbia’s assistant superintendent for parks, said. “It was ugly,” she added.

Park workers removed the graffiti Monday and Tuesday, but the cleaning chemicals also damaged parts of the painting, Lee Snelgrove, executive director of One Columbia for Arts and Culture said. Repair costs are estimated to be anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000.

Columbia police are reviewing security video, but haven’t made any arrests, news outlets reported.

Multiple local groups have launched fundraisers to help support the restoration effort.