May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 60

Deterring
Vandals in
Windsor Locks

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N WINDSOR LOCKS, CONNECTICUT, municipal parks

that if the vandalism recurred after the
park's re-opening, the skate park would
be " gone for good. " The threat of consequences probably got the kids attention-but, Sailer explains, the fact that it
was a concrete park in a highly visible location probably helped deter further vandalism also. (Since concrete parks have
built-in rather than movable structures,
equipment is more durable.) Furthermore, the town stepped up police patrols
and enforcement and engaged residents
in helping with maintenance.
Another nearby town had never had
much difficulty with skate park vandalism. The reason, Sailer quickly discovered: The town built the park across the
street from its police station.
Location is critical. Brainerd Parks and
Recreation is now talking with the local
school district about other possible locations for its skate park. " But it's hard to find
a good local spot, " Sailer notes, since nearby residents are often reluctant to see a
skate park planned for their neighborhood.
Sailer looked not only to leaders in other
communities for insight-he also reached
out to owners of the local skate shops, who
subsequently helped mobilize Brainerd's
skateboarding community for a cleanup
day. Thirty-five volunteers showed up on a
Friday afternoon to paint over vandalism,
clean up trash, and repair ramps.
" It's a good first step, " Sailer says. And
he hopes whether or not the park is relocated to a more central spot, the youth of
the community will continue to care for
and take ownership of their skateboarding facility. " We are in the kid business.
We want to be able to keep the skate park
open for the kids. "
maureen Hannan is Senior Editor of

Parks & Recreation.

director David Wrabel responded to skate park
vandalism by closely cooperating with his town's
police and public works departments. One of the key
issues Wrabel examined was how to improve surveillance
without putting an undue burden on law enforcement. It
took an interdepartmental approach.
" Because of destruction of property issues that posed
safety concerns, our town's First Selectman, Chief of
Police, Public Works Director, and myself decided to close
the park down for a week to allow Public Works to make
the necessary repairs with an increase of patrols by the
police department to ensure people were not jumping the
fence to get in the park....
" It was a long process to ﬁnd a home for the skate park
here in town, and it is located within the grounds of the high
school on tennis courts that were no longer being used. In
order to use this location, an agreement was made that the
skate park would only be open when school is not in session
and is closed at dusk. Because of the agreement with the
school system-as well as the high cost of getting electricity
to that location-improved lighting around the skate park
[often the ﬁrst vandalism deterrence step parks take] was
not an option. So we are looking into video surveillance.
" As it stands now, the police department already has
cameras in one park where there had been problems in the
past. The police department began stationing an oﬃcer in
the park, which was becoming costly and they were able
to install cameras. With their eﬀorts, they were able to
curtail the problems that had been taking place at the
park. The Police Commission recently approached the Park
Commission for support in installing a camera or multiple
cameras in the future at the skate park.
" The skate park has now been reopened after the graﬃti
was painted over and necessary repairs were made. While
the park department took calls from the public and
explained the situation, the burden of the vandalism and
closure was heaviest on Public Works and the Police
Department. It was a long process to ﬁnd a home for the
skate park and to get approval for it. We hope surveillance
equipment will help us put an end to destructive behavior
and vandalism and avoid future closure of the park. "

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