Coquitlam vandals break 15 more windows at school

Vandals break 15 more windows at school

Wawmeesh G. Hamilton, Coquitlam NOW [British Columbia]
Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Vandals broke 15 windows at Montgomery Middle School during the Remembrance Day long weekend, according to the latest figures released by School District 43.

Overall, 26 windows were broken at local schools during the one-week period ending Nov. 14.

“Most of the damage at Montgomery was on the lower floor windows, and a few on the second floor,” said Jim Dueck, the district’s manager of minor repairs.

Last month, 21 windows were reported broken at the school.

The most recent damage occurred at Montgomery Middle over the Remembrance Day weekend, Dueck said, adding that it was reported on Nov. 13 and 14.

Dueck said the district was in the midst of taking steps to thwart vandals when the latest damage occurred.

“We were waiting for ordered screens when this most recent incident happened,” he said. “We got hit before they arrived.”

Montgomery is located off the beaten path, leaving it more susceptible to vandalism than some other schools.

“The school’s in an alcove that isn’t really visible from the street, it’s an unused area,” Dueck said.

Despite the recent flurry of damage at Montgomery Middle, the overall number of broken windows in School District 43 is down considerably from last year.

Dueck said there were 83 broken windows reported in October, down from 113 during the same month last year.

Overall, 988 broken windows have been reported in 2007, down from 1,215 at the same time last year.

“Unless we have a really bad spate, we’ll be down this year,” he said.

While the number of broken windows is down, the amount of graffiti is on the rise — not just in schools, but across the Tri-Cities, Dueck said.

The district’s most recent report showed 19 instances of graffiti reported last week.

Combating it is difficult, Dueck said, especially because of the attitude surrounding it.

“It’s really a silent crime because painting the side of a building makes less noise than breaking a window,” he said.

“Society doesn’t think it’s as important as other issues. You see it every day and I guess you get acclimatized to it.”