Cleaning up at Robin Hood
Published on August 9th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Two Robin Hood School area residents vented quite a bit of steam in recent weeks over what they perceive as neglectful tolerance of vandalism at the multi-million dollar facility.
According to Sunrise Avenue resident Charles Lombardi and Robin Hood Road resident Theresa Ward, they are shocked at the state of the grounds behind the educational facility, which are reportedly peppered with debris from youths who regularly hang-out during the evening hours at the school.
Both residents have written letters to the editor to the Stoneham Independent in recent weeks about the vandalism.
"This all started back about two-and-a-half years ago when they put the Robin Hood School back online. That's when I first started to see things going on down there, and it's getting progressively worse," Lombardi said last week.
"The only thing I haven't seen there is spray graffiti. Yet. But it's becoming a hang-out for kids and an expensive one at that," Ward charged in a separate interview.
According to Lombardi, he regularly walks the Robin Hood School property with his dog, and first noticed that youngsters were pulling out shrubs and other landscaped plants - which were subsequently left discarded to die.
However, in recent months, the level of destruction has increased to include shattered light fixture covers, the splitting of planted trees, and the hurling of downed logs and other debris over a retaining wall towards the rear of the school grounds behind the building.
"It's just ridiculous. There's liquor bottles all over there. And now it's getting to the point where the kids are actually turning over the trash barrels and dumping it all over there," Lombardi claimed. "Whenever I walk down there I always see that something new has happened."
Although Ward would also regularly stroll around the neighborhood, in the past few months an illness has forced her to limit her physical activities.
However, in recent weeks, the former Stoneham school system parent decided to try walking up the slight incline near the rear of the lot, and was absolutely disgusted by what she witnessed.
"One evening, I came back from Redstone and I decided to cut through the school grounds, because there's an incline there," the Robin Hood Road resident recalled. "And I was appalled. And what appalled me the most was that the kids are starting to kick a manufactured stone wall out of place."
According to School Committee member Marie Christie, who had just returned from vacation, she had no idea that anything was actually happening at the educational facility.
Promising that action would be taken on the matter, the veteran School Committee member hoped that citizens would contact school officials directly in the future to voice such complaints.
"Nothing has come to my attention, and as far as I know, nobody has called me or the school department. If the school department knew about it, they would do something," Christie said.
"We don't have the personnel to go around and check these schools. We laid-off six custodians this year, so we just don't have the coverage. So I would say, 'Please call us if you see anything,'" the School Committee member urged.
Echoing Christie's sentiments, School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly also stressed that his office was never contacted about the reported damage.
However, since the two Robin Hood School area neighbors' letters appeared, Connelly has traversed the property, and noted that approximately eight to nine stones had been dislodged from the stone retaining wall.
"Had they called me and said, 'Dr. Connelly, are you aware of the vandalism at the school?', I would have looked into it," the Superintendent commented this Tuesday.
"Since [those letters], I have walked around at the Robin Hood. I went over to the stone wall and noticed there were eight stones knocked off the top. I have told my Facilities Director [Max French] to replace those."
"But as far as the grass mowing, the weeding, and the mulching, we just don't have the manpower," said Connelly of the state of the landscaping at the property.
Although both Lombardi and Ward admit that they never contacted the school department about their concerns - and wrote their letters to vent their frustration with the whole situation at the Robin Hood School - the two Stonehamites feel that a more active effort should be taken to protect the town's multi-million dollar investment in new educational facilities.
According to Ward, who like her neighbor is a senior citizen on a fixed income, she voted in favor of constructing four new elementary schools because she felt that the older structures had been allowed to fall in disrepair.
"Those older buildings were allowed to deteriorate so badly from the time my children were there. So we felt it had to be done," commented Ward, referring to her support for the school construction projects. "But we never dreamed that they wouldn't be maintained after they were built."
"If this is their idea of maintenance, we're in trouble. I won't be around any longer, but in 20-years, are we going to have to rebuild these schools again?"
Stoneham Police Chief Herb Moore reportedly advised the force's patrolmen to arrest all residents found on school grounds after dark for trespassing.
According to Supt. Dr. Joseph Connelly, who requested the police department's assistance in reigning in vandalism incidents at the town's school properties, the damage recently reported at the Robin Hood School by area residents has been part of a larger problem throughout the district this summer.
Contacting Moore this week, the Superintendent was assured that police would begin stepping-up patrols at all school properties, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for after-dark trespassing beginning immediately.
"It's been an ongoing problem all summer. There have been repeated vandalism incidents at all the schools, not just the Robin Hood School," said Connelly, adding that some graffiti and at least 15 broken windows have been discovered this summer at the South, Central, and Middle schools.
The Superintendent is also asking neighborhood residents to help curb the damage incidents by immediately contacting either his office or the police department if they spot any evidence of vandalism.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!