St. Robert city leaders say they’re fed up with vandalism that’s destroying property they and community volunteers have worked for years to build.
For the last half-decade, city employees and volunteer groups have tried to improve and expand the St. Robert Community Center, a playground, nearby ballfields and a skate park. Future plans call for expansion of city walking trails into undeveloped areas of the park, and St. Robert city firefighters have donated many hours of labor to renovate the inside of the community center.
Lyle Thomas, the city’s director of public works, said at Monday evening’s city council meeting that he’s glad to see people enjoying the parks.
“For the park, if anybody drove past the playground this weekend it was packed. People have been utilizing the pavilions and they used the grills this weekend, people are getting out there,” Thomas said.
“The bad news is vandalism at the playground and the park,” he said. “Most of the vandalism is talking place at the skate park and the community center.”
Thomas list#ed a litany of damage and destruction that began last summer and which seems to have picked up again this spring. Recent problems included benches being broken on the park, a screened-in area of the Community Center being torn up, bleachers being damaged, and obscene graffiti being painted on walls. Last summer, two soda machines were destroyed, two “no loitering” signs were destroyed less than 12 hours after being posted, and unauthorized people had gained access to the community center for all-night skate parties inside the building that caused further damage.
Security lighting has been added but it hasn’t solved the problem, Thomas told council members.
“One of the signs that was put up had the skate park rules; obviously they don’t believe that they require rules,” Thomas said. “They tried to jerk it out of the ground, and when they failed at doing that, there were decorative knobs that (a city employee) had put on those at the top. They took those off, we have no idea where those ended up, and then they went after the sign with a knife.”
Several aldermen suggested that the security lighting be augmented with security cameras.
“Can we get a security camera on the playground that takes good enough pictures that we could recognize anybody?” asked Alderman Bob Shaw.
Police Chief Curtis Curenton said that’s not a problem, but has advised City Administrator Norman Herren that it could be expensive.
“I’ve had several conversations with Lyle and Norman on those cameras,” Curenton said. “They’ve even got a camera that will turn a big spotlight on them and blare that they need to leave the area now.”
While expensive, some aldermen said having a camera system might pay for itself by deterring damage or catching those responsible for causing it.
Thomas said some of the vandalism doesn’t cost much money to repair but annoys employees.
“With people throwing food at the building, cheeseburgers and tacos, I mean it’s just frustrating,” Thomas said. “City workers, that’s not their prime function to pick up somebody’s mess.”
Speaking after the meeting, Thomas said he didn’t want to see families deterred from using the playground part of the park because of problems elsewhere.
“People need to be aware that there is vandalism, but it is a safe place to go,” Thomas said. “There are hours established for the park and most of the vandalism occurs after everybody goes home in the evenings and the kids are tucked in bed. It’s not during the day, it’s not during the evening, it’s after hours when nobody is supposed to be there.”
In other public works matters:
• Thomas said city workers have “reached another milestone” on the Vickie Lynn street project by installing streetlights.
• Pump Station 6 is waiting for pumps to be installed, Thomas said.
• City workers continue to move ahead with sewer projects, and construction on the sewer force main has reached St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church. A second bore hole under Missouri Avenue is about halfway completed and should be done in about another week, Thomas said; bore holes for the sewer line will then be drilled under Old Route 66.