The owner of a cafe destroyed in a deliberate fire last year has revealed that “smirking” youths continue to taunt her about the incident.
The Park Café in Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park was left in a state of “complete destruction and devastation” following the blaze, which took place on December 11.
In February, a 15-year-old boy was charged following an investigation into the incident.
Speaking tonight, as plans have been formed to bring the venue back to life, owner and manager Pat Kennedy described how unruly teenagers now plague the replacement kiosk at the spot – “intimidating the staff” and “smirking and laughing” about the blaze.
She said: “We have had to call the police on several occasions, who have been and cautioned them.
“I don’t understand the mentality of these teenagers, but there you go.”
The fire took seven appliances, a high-reach vehicle and a command unit to bring under control, and firefighters worked late into the night to ensure it was fully extinguished.
Emergency services worked through the night to bring the fire at the Park Café in Hazlehead Park under control.
This week, a contract has been put out to tender to find a contractor to reinstate the café, and the owner says if all goes to plan, repairs could commence at the site in June.
‘Totally destroyed’
She said: “Now everything has been sorted out between the insurance, the council and ourselves.
“The place was totally destroyed, it wasn’t just a little bit of surface damage, it was everything. There’s just been complete destruction and devastation throughout the whole place, it’s just awful.
“But it’s gone out to tender now, which is good, and contractors will have a few weeks to come back with costings and then hopefully we can get started from June 1, which might be optimistic.
“The good thing is the building doesn’t need to be knocked down, because the structure is OK, the worry was that it would have to be bulldozed, but that won’t happen.
“Everything inside will need to be scraped right back to basics, and all the wiring and cabling will need to be redone, so it will be a massive operation.
“We are hoping and praying that we can get open for Christmas and New Year, but we’re not making any promises.”
Customers thanked for support
Mrs Kennedy, who also owns the café in Duthie Park in the city, said she and her staff have been happy to see so many people supporting the Hazlehead café by visiting its kiosk while the main building has been shut since the fire.
She continued: “We’ve had great support from all of our regulars and a lot of new customers.
“Right enough, there’s not been anywhere else open and a lot of people haven’t had anywhere else to go but the park, but we’ve had such great support and encouragement from everyone, so we can’t complain on that side of it.
“We’re feeling very positive and optimistic, and the kiosk will be open throughout the summer with a little marquee we’ve got set up as well.”
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