COEUR d'ALENE - A granite park bench a G.O. Phippeny Park, donated by the Coeur d'Alene High School class of 1947, was the target of vandals - again.

The little stone bench first was installed in the spring of 2004, but was badly vandalized that summer, Cecil Hathaway, a member of the graduating class, recalled Monday.

The 2-inch thick backrest was broken in two pieces that summer, he said.

This summer, after it was finally repaired, vandals busted the backrest into three pieces.

And the perpetrators broke one of the supporting granite uprights, which is 3 inches thick.

Hathaway said, "The glue hadn't hardly settled before the damn thing got broken again."

He said the class has invested more than $1,000 on the bench. The park is located at the intersection Seventh Street and Montana Avenue, where their high school and junior high used to stand.

Hathaway said a dozen or more of his class of 135 students still live in Coeur d'Alene. Roughly one-third of the class has died.

He said he thinks the bench is beyond repair this time. A police report said the latest damage was done sometime between 5 p.m. on July 16 and 9 a.m. July 17.

A city parks employee reported it to police.

"I'm personally very disappointed that someone damages our gift that is really only a benefit to the public," Hathaway said. "I don't see anything negative about (the bench)."

Some wood park benches also are in the park, but were not vandalized.

Hathaway said it's "puzzling" to him why the granite bench has been targeted twice.

Police spokesman Sgt. Christie Wood said, "It's probably more of a target of opportunity," than something that's specifically being targeted.

"We rarely get witnesses, because (vandalism) usually happens at night," she said.

She asked that residents call police anytime they see something suspicious at night.

"We're operating 24-hours per day," she said.

The Cd'A police tips line: (208) 769-2296

Cecil Hathaway: (208) 765-7639.