These days, asshat vandals don't even wait until a place is abandoned before wrecking it...
Historic church hit by vandals
Uxbridge site target for years, says chairwoman Thusday, March 13, 2008
By Jeff Hayward
UXBRIDGE -- A more than 130-year-old church in
Sandford has been the target of ongoing vandalism, leaving the congregation to pick up repair costs, laments the church's council chairwoman.
Over the past few years, the church on Sandford Road has had gun pellets smash through its original stained-glass windows, the downspouts have been repeatedly crushed affecting roof drainage, and the front steps have been strewn with garbage from local students eating lunch on the steps, said Elaine Cox. "Most recently, the building has been used for target practice in some kind of paintball competition," she noted.
The church council has since reinforced the windows with plexiglass, "and asked school officials to pass along the message that church property is not a picnic table."
Golf balls have also smashed through boardroom windows and a sign has been yanked down, she added. Ms. Cox could not hang a price tag on all the damage as it's been going on for years, but added the church's congregation of about 45 members ends up footing the bill. "The physical damage and inconvenience caused by all the vandalism and littering are almost less painful than the casual, almost callous disrespect they represent," she stated. "We don't understand what the building or the congregation has done to deserve this."
She is hoping awareness will force the vandalism come to an end, and in the meantime, "we could use some help with the mess," she said. Anyone looking to help with cleanup can call Elaine Cox at 905-852-6239.
