With the persistence of erosion, vandals have been gradually destroying the outdoor play equipment at Arbor Heights Co-op Preschool since summer

At first the incidents seemed too insignificant to notify police. But then the front porch of a cedar playhouse was broken off, said Janet Jenness, a teacher at the preschool. Recently vandals returned to further damage the playhouse.

"They bashed in the siding," Jenness said. "It's pretty much destroyed."

Built and donated by a construction company, the playhouse was was one of a kind.

"This is a nonprofit, co-op preschool," said Karen Vegors, a parent. "Are they going to be replacing that playhouse? Probably not. It's not in a high-dollar area."

There are 180 to 200 children attending Arbor Heights Co-op Preschool, ranging in age from newborn to age 5.

Because it is a cooperative, parents are required to help run and pay for the school. Parents sign up to work at the school at least one day a week. Some parents help in the classroom while others manage the school's annual fund-raising auction or take on other tasks.

For the past eight years, Arbor Heights Co-op Preschool has been affiliated with South Seattle Community College. The Puget Ridge college runs a parental education program along with preschool education programs at seven West Seattle preschools, one of which is Arbor Heights.

Somebody used a pipe bomb to blow up some of the preschool's play equipment.

Someone also painted grafitti on a storage shed at the school and then pelted it with rotten apples.

Recently the ruiners went after two large plastic playhouses, which they smashed into jagged pieces.

After the Christmas break, a sandbox shaped like a truck bed was found wrecked. Seattle Police have been alerted.

"This was malicious," Vegors said.

Tim St. Clair can be contacted at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.