A group of local Girl Scouts spent Saturday morning rebuilding the 27 lily pond boxes that were destroyed in a rowdy water fight at Balboa Park back in August.
On August 12 a midnight, flash mob-style water fight with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 participants wreaked havoc on the iconic Balboa Park lily pond, causing thousands of dollars of damage.
In the water fight, participants broke a piece of piping in the pond, destroyed the lily boxes and trampled plants. The suspects also left behind water guns and remnants of water balloons around the area. Later, Matthew Hardick came forward as one of the organizers of the event and apologized for the destruction.
San Diegans were outraged by the vandalism, including then-mayor Jerry Sanders who released a statement saying he was appalled at the damage done by people he called “delinquents.”
The event raised security concerns regarding Balboa Park and became a hot-button topic during San Diego’s mayoral race.
Since then, money has been raised to repair the pond – including $13,000 in donations raised by the non-profit group Friends of Balboa Park – and local volunteers have stepped up to fix the damages.
Now, nearly four months after the incident, the Girl Scouts of San Diego are doing their part to restore the “Crown Jewel of San Diego.”
From the Girl Scouts Headquarters at 1231 Upas Avenue in Balboa Park, the group spent Saturday repairing and reconstructing the lily pond boxes using materials donated by Lowe’s Home Improvement. A group of Lowe’s employees also helped in restoring the boxes.
Friends of Balboa Park chairman of the board Jim Hughes was there as well.
Photo Credit: Gitzel Puente