Katie de la Rosa

Four chairs and a table have been stolen from the downtown parklet, the outdoor-dining area that was built off Jefferson Street near the old City Hall about a month and a half ago.

Downtown Lafayette Marketing Director Kate Durio said the missing furniture was noticed Monday morning and was suspected to have been stolen sometime over the weekend.

Lafayette Police Department spokesman Cpl. Paul Mouton confirmed a police report was filed around 2:30 p.m. Monday. He said the police have no evidence or surveillance footage for their investigation.

Before the report was filed, Downtown Lafayette notified the public through a post on its Facebook page.

“We were just hoping someone would have seen something or would say something,” Durio said.

The post says two chairs and a table had been stolen, but Durio said four chairs are missing. Downtown Lafayette has no funds to replace the furniture, as crowd-funding paid for the entire parklet, she said. Two chairs and a table collectively cost $175, so the value of the stolen equipment is $250-$275.

Durio said Downtown Lafayette would welcome any citizen-driven fundraising to purchase the replacement furniture.

Initially, the entire parklet was locked up, with a cable that weaved through the legs of the chairs and tables to keep them in place. Recently, though, no suspicious activity had occurred at the parket, so the decision to keep it unlocked was made.

“It had been unlocked for about two weeks now,” Durio said.

As of now, the parklet can still be usedwith far less seating and capacity. Durio said a sign notifying users of the theft might be posted.

“Whoever stole this,” Durio said, “stole this from everyone.”