CHS offers $300 reward in Volunteer Park panel theft

The empty frame and plywood backing left behind (Photos: Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks)

CHS is offering a $300 reward for the return of an exhibit panel stolen from Volunteer Park in late June.

The recent theft of the porcelain-enamel and steel panel from an exhibit inside the Volunteer Park water tower has left the community group that created the display looking for answers. Why would somebody steal a 50-pound interpretive panel illustrating the interrelationship of Seattle's Water System with Seattle's Parks? And how can the section of the more than $20,000 exhibit be replaced?

"We can't quite understand why anyone would take it and why anyone would want it," Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks board member Jerry Arbes told CHS. "It's not something you'd want to hang on your wall. The only hope is somebody thought they wanted it and then changed their mind."

According to Arbes, the panel was produced in 1997 by the community group as part of a 6-panel permanent exhibit on Seattle's Olmsted legacy. It was a neighborhood matching grant project with co-sponsorship by the Capitol Hill Community Council.

Arbes said the cost of replacing the panel could be between $5,000 and $10,000.

"We're looking at the options," Arbes said. "One option is to try to replace it as it was and try to raise some money to do that. We also might explore new technology that has emerged in recent years."

CHS is offering a $300 reward for the return of the panel in good condition. Contact us at chs@capitolhillseattle.com if you have any information about the incident.

Spokesperson for Seattle Parks Joelle Ligon said her office is not able to offer a reward at this time but is helping Arbes' group get the word out and make contacts for fundraisers to support replacing the panel.