Sometime betweent the hours of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night, September 11, and Thursday morning around 10:30 a.m., Ed Burmaster’s RV was vandalized.
The 35 foot long, 1997 Triple E motorhome had been parked on the old fruit packinghouse grounds across from the Red Bridge Pub, off and on, for the previous 10 days.
Sometime during the above mentioned time period, the motorhome was spray painted in black paint - inside and out.
Burmaster has been devastated by the act.
“I have no idea at this point how much damage was done, or even if it can be reapaired,” he said in frustration.
He is also aware of the fact that time is quickly running out for this year’s potential sale window for vehicles such as his.
“I’m guessing by the time repairs are done, the RV season will be over,” he conceded.
“I’ll lose the opportunity to sell it this year.”
There was a certain urgency to the sale of the motorhome.
“I was selling it in order to help pay for the cost of keeping my wife at Orchard Haven,” he said
Burmaster has spent the last several days pondering what possible motive a person - or persons - could have to do such a thing. He’s also aware of other senseless acts of vandalism that have taken place locally in the past few weeks.
“Kids always get into a little trouble,” he said, admitting to mischief like tipping over outhouses on Halloween night, when he was a kid.
“It’s a different world today,” he realized, adding that his stomach has been upset for the past few days as he attempts to deal with the damage.
“I was insured, but I’m not sure what can be done for damage like this,” he said, adding that because of the unit’s size, there are only a limited number of places that would likely be able to do the work.
The motorhome was priced at $25,000.
“It’s beyond me why anyone would do this,” he said helplessly. “There wasn’t anything of value left in the vehicle - I just don’t understand it.”