Vandals are targeting windows in Woodland Park and the police
are asking for help in curbing what is being seen as a disturbing
trend.
Since the beginning of August there have been two reports of
broken windows at Woodland Park High School and one report each at
the the middle school, the Woodland Park Teen Center, two local
businesses and one residence.
On Aug. 12, vandals struck the high school for the second time.
According to a news release from the police department, at about
2:30 a.m. a high school employee reported that he had pursued four
suspects who had broken some windows at the school. The
investigation that followed found that 30 windows had been broken
but the school has since found an additional 11 broken windows.
Estimates for damages citywide are still being tabulated but the
RE-2 School District puts its losses at more than $41,000.
The police department has gathered evidence consisting of
surveillance video, fingerprints, shoe impressions and DNA.
The Re-2 Board of Education met later on Aug. 12 and discussed
the damages. Guy Arseneau wanted everybody to know that security is
being beefed up. The police department has set a $300 reward for
information leading to an arrest but the school board voted to add
another $700 from board funds to make the reward $1,000.
“The first time they hit they only broke six windows but this
time they were more violent,” Arseneau said. “They used a bat or a
tire iron and hit the windows so hard they sent glass flying across
classrooms and into the hallways beyond.”
School personnel boarded up most of the windows but the clock
tower had to be closed because there was so much damage to windows
that it was dangerous for people to enter.
“The smallest windows will probably cost about $75 each to
replace,” Arseneau said. “The bigger windows could cost as much a
$400 to $500 each.”
He added that some students at registration were angry about the
damage .
“They should be angry,” said board president Rick Wetzel. “These
vandals did this to their school.”
The Teen Center was vandalized at about the same time.
“They broke windows in our brand new teen center,” said city
public works director William Alspach, adding that window
replacement would cost about $1,200.
To put the costs in perspective Alspach stated in an e-mail that
window repairs and cleanup took about four hours and pulled
personnel from the city’s parks, buildings and grounds crew away
from preparing soccer fields for the upcoming soccer season and
installing new fence at Crestwood Park.
He stated: “The materials to cover the windows and the glass to
repair the windows could have been used to: install 50 feet of new
curb, gutter and sidewalk; install over 100 feet of new sidewalk;
repave a street intersection or seed an acre with wildflowers.”
The Teen Center, which was formerly located in a building behind
Woodland Park Public Library, was moved a few months ago into
unused space at the back of city hall. The windows themselves had
only been installed when the space was remodeled to get it ready
for the teens.
To give information regarding these crimes or to report
suspicious activities or persons, call the Woodland Park Police
Department at 719-687-9262.