Less than a month after it was installed, a “Wildcat Way” sign at Seymour High School has been stolen from the main entrance.
The sign — about the size of an average street sign — was perched atop a stop sign at the entrance to the school on Botsford Road.
Several town officials and residents noticed the sign was missing Thursday morning.
“It’s shameful,” Seymour Deputy First Selectman Nicole Klarides-Ditria said.
First Selectman Kurt Miller sent out a Tweet and a Facebook message Thursday about the theft, which likely happened sometime Wednesday.
“I would like to personally thank who ever it was that stole the Wildcat Way sign from the High School driveway,” Miller wrote. “I hope you enjoy it hanging in your room or garage. Since we won’t be buying another, the whole town suffers because of one person’s stupidity.”
The sign was installed just before the June 19 graduation ceremony for the high school.
The town also painted large gold paw prints along the walkway to the school, in an effort to boost school pride.
The effort to name the road Wildcat Way was pushed by Klarides-Ditria, Board of Education member Jay Hatfield and former Seymour football coach Paul Sponheimer.
Klarides-Ditria did not know the cost of the project. A message seeking comment was left with Seymour’s Public Works Director Dennis Rozum.
Klarides-Ditria said the sign had been installed with extra bolts to prevent a theft.
“It took them some time to get that off there,” she said.
Klarides-Ditria reported the theft to the police Thursday morning.
“I think whoever it is should get prosecuted,” Klarides-Ditria said. “It’s sad that someone that lives in this town and loves this town would want to vandalize it like that.”
The community reacted on Twitter Thursday.
Well, the town should have seen this one coming. Not alot of students liked the idea, most of them thought it wasn’t needed. So in all cases it was a waste of money that could have been used to buy AIR CONDITIONERS for the school.
While I agree that AC would have been nice, just because teens don’t like something doesn’t give them permission to steal (assuming teens did this).
People need to learn to respect authority and not decide to steal or vandalize because they don’t like a decision or something doesn’t go their way.
Am I the only one who saw this coming from MILES away?
The whole thing is ridiculous. From putting up the sign in the first place to stealing it. My tax dollars were wasted on a sign and paw prints on a road meanwhile my nephew who is attending the middle school is told there aren’t enough books in certain subjects for the whole class. REALLY?!?
“I would like to personally thank who ever it was that stole the Wildcat Way sign from the High School driveway,” Miller wrote. “I hope you enjoy it hanging in your room or garage. Since we won’t be buying another, the whole town suffers because of one person’s stupidity.”
First Selectmen, Our town wouldn’t be suffering if you didn’t waste our money in the first place. Thank GOD we won’t be buying another one. Even the students hated the idea, how is doing something the students hate going to raise school spirit? The theft is not to be praised, don’t get me wrong, but this is what happens when you don’t listen to those that are going to be affected by whatever change you are making.