There used to be a time when Alex Danka, vice president of Seymour Land Trust, dealt with vandals without involving the police.
“I caught a couple of kids last year [vandalizing] so I had them do community service in the park and had them clean the bathrooms,” Danka said. ​“But now, [vandalism] happens so frequently that I can’t handle it in house anymore.”
After a string of vandalism at the park, Danka said he has no choice but to involve the police now — and offer a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
What’s the straw that broke the camel’s back?
Danka said on Monday morning between around 8:30 and 11:30, someone broke into the fish food machine and stole the money and the food. The machines are like candy machines that dispense food to feed the fish stocked in the Legion Pool pond.
“This is the third machine that’s been broken in two weeks,” Danka said. ​“These machines cost a couple hundreds dollars a piece, too.”
Unlike the other two fish food machines that were vandalized, Danka said this time, it appears the machine was busted open with crowbar or some other tools, showing premeditation.
“Now we have vandalism and larceny,” Danka said. ​“The last two times, the machines were smashed. The object this time was to break in and take the money.”
But that’s not all, Danka said. On Sunday night, hours before the fish food machine was broken into, several items in the park were targeted by vandals.
“Three benches, the ones with memorial plaques, were also broken and some footing stones were smashed,” Danka said.
Like the fish food machines, Danka said park benches don’t come cheap. In the last two weeks alone, he estimates that about $1,000-$1,500 in damage has been done at the park.
And in the last few years, Danka estimates at least $5,000 worth of damage has been done.
Though vandalism is not a new occurrence at Legion Pool, Danka said this season, vandalism seems to be on the rise.
“There is a constant, on-going problem with vandalism. About four years ago, it started getting bad, but this season, it’s worse than others,” Danka said.
To try and combat the vandalism, Danka said he is thinking of installing security cameras and motion sensor lights in the park.
Ideally, Danka said he would like to have the lights set up to trigger the cameras and have the footage streamed online so he could watch from home.
In the mean time, Danka has notified the police to arrest anyone at the park after sunset for trespassing.
“It’s unfortunate I have to take such a stiff stand,” he said.
First Selectman Paul Roy feels Danka’s pain. Town property has also been vandalized — which is why the town authorized the police department to set up closed-circuit cameras.