|
Read News
|
Pocono News Section
Lock Haven Vandals Destroy Trees
Lock Haven Vandals Destroy Trees - Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 4:57PM EST
Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2008 @ 04:57pm EST
Lock Haven, Clinton County-
Vandals struck in Clinton County, destroying part of an improvement project in Lock Haven. This is not the first time something like this has happened, and people there say they’ve have had enough. Butch Miller, of Lock Haven, said, "I just get so upset with the blatant destruction of public property."
A quick walk down Grove Street in Lock Haven shows a disheartening picture. Vandals destroyed four trees that are a part of the city's streetscape beautification project. "To have people with just total disregard just to come along and damage them--for no good reason--I hope they catch them and punish them to the fullest extent of the law," Miller noted.
Most of the leftover debris had been cleaned up by Tuesday afternoon. But some remnants of the vandals' handiwork remained. Harold Young, of Lock Haven, lamented, "It makes me angry. We're all paying for this stuff, and look what kids and other people are doing to our town. That's pretty sad."
The trees were planted less than two years ago. City officials say they have to replace a few trees every year due to vandalism. And the four trees planted here on Grove Street that were damaged over the weekend, aren't cheap. Officials say it could cost nearly two thousand dollars to replace them.
That doesn't sit well with Lock Haven residents who realize the work, money, and time involved in an attempt to beautify the city. Young explained, "We're trying to get our town looking nice and neat so people from out-of-state can come in here and say, 'Wow, Lock Haven's beautiful!' But if this is going on, people will probably come up here and say, 'This is a terrible town, what's going on?'"
Miller added, "A lot of people are eager to blame college students, but we have some home-grown elements too that have been known to do this type of work as well, and it's just really, really sad."
The mayor tells us there were witnesses to this weekend's vandalism, and police continue to investigate.
| | |
|
|
|