A letter has gone missing from Vancouver Waterfront Park.
Specifically, the letter T.
Someone first called Vancouver Parks and Recreation about a week ago to report that the first T in the waterfront park sign was missing, said Melody Burton, marketing and communications manager.
Since then, the parks department has fielded numerous calls and received multiple messages about the alphabetical theft, Burton said.
“They’re all very kind. People just want to let us know it’s gone,” she said.
The letter is a custom metal fabrication made of aluminum, so it weighs only a few pounds. It’s secured by screws to an aluminum base, so if the sign is damaged, it can be easily repaired. All of the letters are 18 inches tall and 7 inches thick from front to back.
Manufacturing a new T will take some time, Burton said. The department has put in a request for a replacement, which should be ready by Oct. 10. Then, a work crew will have to install it. The sign should read correctly around mid-October.
In the meantime, visitors — mainly small children who fit in the gap — are replacing the missing T with their own bodies.
Park officials have not filed a report with the Vancouver Police Department, “because they didn’t have any actionable information related to how or why the T is missing,” police department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email Friday. “If they gain more information, they stated they will contact VPD.”
Burton said there is not much optimism about retrieving the letter.
“But we’re just staying positive about the situation, letting people know we’ve gotten their messages and we’re working on it.”
