Vandalism spoils park's reopening

The day before Karen Grossman and other neighbors were to celebrate the grand reopening of Spy Pond Park, they were shocked to discover someone had vandalized new park benches and tables with graffiti.

''People are terribly angry and disappointed," said Grossman, the president of the Friends of Spy Pond Park group. ''We spent years rallying to get the park done. It was just blatant vandalism . . . someone trying to rain on our parade."

The issue isn't unique to Spy Pond. Leslie Mayer, a member of the Park and Recreation Commission, said Arlington has experienced a spike in vandalism townwide over the last 18 months. A number of areas along the Minuteman Bike Path, a recently restored dam near the Arlington reservoir, and a renovated playground in Arlington Heights have all been targeted, she said.

''It does get very annoying," said Mayer. ''It's a costly problem . . . an issue that deserves attention and requires people to come together to solve."

The beauty of the well-manicured grounds and cobblestone-lined walkways of the new $900,000 park has been tainted by the graffiti, Grossman said. In the last two weeks, seven of the 15 new benches and tables have been scrawled on with blue, purple, and black permanent marker and paint.

Officials in Arlington are hoping to do just that. Last week, the selectmen formed a task force to combat a problem that has desecrated buildings and property stretching from the Lexington town line to the Route 2 bridge. Two selectmen, Police Chief Frederick Ryan, Town Manager Brian Sullivan, and Director of Public Works John Sanchez will join Planning and School Department representatives in an attempt to stop the trend.

A juvenile probation officer will be included on the task force, to update the group on how teenage vandals are being prosecuted.

Ryan said his officers just arrested two juveniles who had been spray-painting the Route 2 bridge in the middle of the day. Those teenagers, and anyone else charged with the crime, are subject to a $1,500 fine, up to two years in a house of correction, and loss of a driver's license -- or the privilege to apply for a driver's license -- for a year.

Ryan said his department is looking to increase enforcement, but is relying on the public to report where ''tagging" is occurring. Studies show that increased graffiti can lead to increases in other crimes, decreases in property value, and myriad quality-of-life issues, Ryan said.

''We are not the first community to wrestle with this. But you only need to take a short walk on the bikeway or a drive around town to see how widespread the problem has become," said Ryan.

''The town leadership is taking this matter very seriously. Our approach will be multidisciplinary, to educate and create a sense of urgency to attack this problem."

The task force had its first meeting last Thursday, just a day after Town Meeting discussed the problem.

Town Meeting members recommended many ways to stop graffiti, including required service projects at the high school to give students a better sense of community, a bylaw change to prevent hardware stores from selling spray paint to anyone under the age of 18, and stricter prosecution for those caught vandalizing.

Board of Selectmen member Annie Lacourt said the town should consider a graffiti art area to prevent the designs from popping up in less desirable locations.

Prompting the Town Meeting discussion, Precinct 12 member Gordon Jamieson requested adding a $35,000-a-year position in the Department of Public Works budget. The position would be dedicated to quick removal of graffiti, which would act as a deterrent for further tagging, Jamieson said.

Jamieson became aware of the problem when a ''nonstop graffiti barrage" greeted him on the bike path. He later saw the Spy Pond Park vandalism and a number of other public areas that have felt the impact.

''This can't go on like this for another year," Jamieson said last week. ''I respect the budget process . . . but we needed to draw attention to the issue."

Jamieson's motion was ultimately voted down, and the other ideas were not formally considered.

But a number of residents echoed Jamieson's concerns. William Burke, who said his house was vandalized by teenagers, called on school officials to take a more active role in educating teenagers about the cost of the ''artwork."

''I have had my own home graffiti-ed -- on the inside, " said Burke. ''It needs to be addressed where this begins. Let these kids come and remove the graffiti and do a little bit of work on their own. Let them know what is involved."

Sanchez, the director of Public Works, told Town Meeting that he would need at least two full-time workers dedicating two weeks of work to remove the present graffiti in town. Sanchez said the removal would need to be done on an ongoing basis because ''as it happens, as soon as we have one area cleaned of graffiti, the next day it reappears. So to be able to maintain it, it will take us another two people year-round to make the problem go away."

Given the tight fiscal constraints the town is facing this year, many doubted that such an approach was feasible. Selectman Kevin Greeley said the town leaders have started responding in less costly ways. The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office Graffiti Removal Team conducted an inventory of areas in town that need attention last week and will have prisoners visit Arlington this month to clean up graffiti.

As for the Spy Pond Park neighbors, they hope the cleanup will restore the pride they feel in their new park.

''So many people were distressed over this," said Grossman. ''It's just completed, $900,000 spent by the town taxpayers, and someone looking for attention, crying for attention, made a selfish, selfish decision. It's a shame."