SILVER CREEK - The village of Silver Creek has had enough of vandalism in the village park and at the recent village board meeting it took action to stop it.
The board approved the bid for security cameras for the village square and ball park to help catch vandals damaging village property.
Vandalism in the park, especially after spending money to refurbish the gazebo, led the village to start looking into security cameras a year and a half ago.
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OBSERVER Photo by
Nicole Gugino
Vandalism in the Silver Creek village park left the gazebo with six less posts and spurred the village board to purchase security cameras.
Just before the board meeting, six posts and a finial on the gazebo were broken and removed. There was also damage done to the playground.
"It is a hard for us to patrol that area because it is a darkened area and it is a place that kids congregate," Silver Creek Police Chief Timothy Roche explained. "Is there a higher incidence of criminal mischief there? Yes, because there are a lot of places you have to physically be there to see and the kids know it."
Costs initially kept the village from purchasing the equipment to catch vandals, but after a $8,000 donation for the project from Petri's Baking Products, the board accepted a bid from Fire Security Communications (FSC) of Jamestown.
At its last meeting the board learned of the company's quote with new equipment, which would cost the village over $3,000 more than it had budgeted for the project.
The new quote of $9,231 was discussed at the most recent meeting on the heels of yet another incident of vandalism at the gazebo.
"We have got to get it done," Trustee Thomas Harmon said.
Harmon was originally opposed to the idea of security cameras, but after the many incidents of vandalism he said he sees it as an investment to maintain village property, which could save the village money.
The board decided to make up the difference in the price by withdrawing $3,079 from the contingency budget. The board could not say how much was left in contingency, which started the year with $25,000 and now has two expenditures still to be withdrawn.
Roche said FSC should be able to install the grid and the fixed digital, zoom cameras in the next couple of weeks. He said this will be an integral tool in investigating vandalism in the area and holding vandals responsible for damage.
The next board meeting will be held Nov. 5.
In other business:
No action was taken on making the village parks smoke-free. Deputy Mayor Amy Romanik said the board will discuss the matter when Mayor Kurt Lindstrom returns to town.
The board transferred $1,235.46 from pipe and supplies and $1,000 from equipment repair to the part-time labor budget line for additional help in the water department during the water project.
