The Scarborough High School athletic field was reopened July 10, more than a week after someone drove onto the turf and caused significant damage. Courtesy News Center Maine

SCARBOROUGH — The high school athletic field was reopened Wednesday, 10 days after being damaged by someone driving on the field.

The investigation into who caused approximately $2,500 in damage is continuing. Police said July 10 that a vehicle has been impounded and they are still working on who may have been responsible.

While the field was closed, Town Manager Tom Hall said, sports teams, clinics and camps made alternative arrangements and played at other town facilities, including the school baseball field, Memorial Park and at the middle school.

The field and track area are used by school football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams, as well as summer soccer leagues, Hall said.

“We were able to do some repairs to take care of any immediate safety issues,” Hall said. “Extensive damage was done to the grass areas and the natural turf. The estimated cost of repairs is $2,500, but we’ll have the same vendor coming back next week to do a follow-up and touch-up work.”

Hall said other work was not done immediately because it’s more of an aesthetic issue, and the goal was to get the field reopened as soon as possible to avoid complications of scheduling sports teams elsewhere for the summer.

Hall said the town hopes to seek restitution for damages once someone is held accountable.

According to a press release from the Police Department, officers responded to the high school athletic field at 6 a.m. July 2 for a report of vandalism. Damage was done to the turf field, a grassed area near the track, as well as two nearby ditches in the Wentworth School parking lot.

According to Detective Garrett Strout, the vehicle entered the playing field through an unlocked gate. A surveillance video from a nearby camera revealed a motor vehicle driving recklessly with clear intention to inflict damage, police said.

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