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Church to miscreants: You’re welcome here, but stop vandalizing!
  
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By Francesca Olsen
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
NIVERVILLE — The churchgoers of Niverville-Chatham Center United Methodist Church want to make something clear to the suspected teenagers that have been vandalizing church property this summer and summers past: You are welcome to come to the church and churchyard after hours to sit and talk, but stop destroying property!
Bob Mitchell, a church trustee, has watched the vandalism escalate gradually over several years, but has seen things get worse recently.
“The kids have been here for years, but they’ve never gotten into it as bad as in the last couple weeks, the last couple months,” he said. “It seems to be getting progressively worse.”
Among the list of offenses are graffiti on the church’s front steps, a couch dragged into the woods behind the church parking lot, and the tearing down of a fence behind the church that was put up to stop teenagers from climbing up onto the roof.
Before the fence was installed, individuals would climb onto the church’s roof to sit and hang out. The church was concerned of the potential liability issues this brought up, and installed the fence.
The worst is an expletive, burned into the alcove roof over one of the church’s primary entrances. “Some not too nice language for churchgoers,” said Mitchell.
New vinyl siding on the church has also been burned by the unnamed vandals. “We just put the siding on the church not long ago,” said Mitchell. The siding cost about $30,000 to install.
“We weren’t going to bother with it,” said Mitchell. “It seems like the kids we talk to are never the ones that are doing it. Maybe when school starts, it’ll go away.”
Mitchell said he hasn’t contacted the police or the newspaper before because previous offenses have been relatively innocent. “When they got to playing with fire, and tearing down fences” he knew it was time.
“Having been in that position when I was young, I know how it is,” said Mitchell, who also grew up in a small town. “We made our own fun. But we never did property damage to anybody’s homes. We never knowingly vandalized anything.”
Some teenagers were caught breaking into the church a couple of years ago, Mitchell said, but they were reported by a neighbor and subsequently caught.
“We don’t want to appear that we’re anti-kids,” he said. “it’s just that they do these stupid things. We spent $30,000 siding the whole place, and they burn it.”
Mitchell said the church doesn’t mind the teenagers hanging out after hours in the parking lot or on the church steps, as long as there’s no property damage involved. “All we want to do is show we’re concerned about the escalation,” he said. “We’re tired of it happening, and we have reported it to the state troopers.”
“You wonder, sometimes, if parents wonder what their kids are doing at night,” Mitchell said.
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, visit www.registerstar.com.
Bob Mitchell, a church trustee, has watched the vandalism escalate gradually over several years, but has seen things get worse recently.
“The kids have been here for years, but they’ve never gotten into it as bad as in the last couple weeks, the last couple months,” he said. “It seems to be getting progressively worse.”
Among the list of offenses are graffiti on the church’s front steps, a couch dragged into the woods behind the church parking lot, and the tearing down of a fence behind the church that was put up to stop teenagers from climbing up onto the roof.
Before the fence was installed, individuals would climb onto the church’s roof to sit and hang out. The church was concerned of the potential liability issues this brought up, and installed the fence.
The worst is an expletive, burned into the alcove roof over one of the church’s primary entrances. “Some not too nice language for churchgoers,” said Mitchell.
New vinyl siding on the church has also been burned by the unnamed vandals. “We just put the siding on the church not long ago,” said Mitchell. The siding cost about $30,000 to install.
“We weren’t going to bother with it,” said Mitchell. “It seems like the kids we talk to are never the ones that are doing it. Maybe when school starts, it’ll go away.”
Mitchell said he hasn’t contacted the police or the newspaper before because previous offenses have been relatively innocent. “When they got to playing with fire, and tearing down fences” he knew it was time.
“Having been in that position when I was young, I know how it is,” said Mitchell, who also grew up in a small town. “We made our own fun. But we never did property damage to anybody’s homes. We never knowingly vandalized anything.”
Some teenagers were caught breaking into the church a couple of years ago, Mitchell said, but they were reported by a neighbor and subsequently caught.
“We don’t want to appear that we’re anti-kids,” he said. “it’s just that they do these stupid things. We spent $30,000 siding the whole place, and they burn it.”
Mitchell said the church doesn’t mind the teenagers hanging out after hours in the parking lot or on the church steps, as long as there’s no property damage involved. “All we want to do is show we’re concerned about the escalation,” he said. “We’re tired of it happening, and we have reported it to the state troopers.”
“You wonder, sometimes, if parents wonder what their kids are doing at night,” Mitchell said.
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, visit www.registerstar.com.
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