FOLEY, Ala. — Just because it was a non-hurricane year last year along the Alabama Gulf Coast, don’t sell Mother Nature short when it comes to all kind of mischief.

What was initially thought to possibly be the work of vandals at Foley Kids Park now looks more weather-related.

Twenty-five to 30 percent of the hand and foot tiles at the park have been affected by some kind of weathering, according to Councilman Charlie Ebert III.

“You can see places where some of the tiles are cracking but there is no point of impact,” said Ebert this week of the tiles that have adorned the Kids Park since it opened in early 2001.

The tiles, which contain children’s hand and foot prints, some adult prints and even paw prints of pets, were a fundraiser for the park. Over 700 of the tiles are in place at the Kids Park at Max Griffin Park.

According to Ebert, pieces of the tiles are coming off and those are sharp.

“We can’t leave them dangling,” he said but noted the park isn’t closed at this point.

Members of the Foley Police Department and Parks Department were on hand to check out what was first thought to be valndalism. Now, after a closer look, the damage looks to be from weathering. The recent hard freeze that hit the area is a likely culprit in what occurred at the Kids Park, Ebert said.

Parks superintendent Mark McKenzie has placed a call to the tile manufacturer, Ebert said, adding the tiles have a sealer or protective coating on them but have cracked due to the cold or moisture getting behind the sealant or a combination of both.

The damaged tiles may have to be removed to protect the remaining tiles, Ebert said.

“The best guess is that this has been occurring over time and was accelerated by the recent cold temperatures,” he said.

Even though the likelihood in this case is that the weather is to blame for the damage, Ebert said he will pursue getting a security camera in place at the Kids Park. He said the Park bears the marks of incidents of minor vandalism.

“There is evidence of people being in the (Kids) Park after hours,” he said.

Indeed, at Monday’s city council meeting Ebert and other council members approved a first reading of a proposed Parks Rules ordinance that Mayor John Koniar said would eventually be posted in city parks and give city officials more authority over what takes place in Foley parks.