The remains of the Pumpkin Patch lie in a tangled heap after being heavily vandalized. (Photo by Will Wright)

Garden vandalized; administration scrambles for solution

For the second time in less than a week, the Country Day garden was vandalized  Saturday night.

Sometime after 4:30 p.m. Saturday,  vandals broke down fences, terraces and arbors in a much more serious attack than another one that occurred late last Tuesday.

Michael Covey, who supervises the garden, discovered the damage Sunday but is unsure who the vandals might be, and said there is no reason to believe they were SCDS students.

“At this point it’s all just speculation,” Covey said.

Two rose arbors were broken in the attack, a birdbath donated by Covey was smashed and fences, signs and a greenhouse sustained light damage.

The middle school garden elective spent today repairing the damage and managed to replace most of the signs and repair one arbor.

A once proud picket fence carelessly knocked down, with signs roughly uprooted and dropped upon them. (Photo by Will Wright)
Vandals knocked down this picket fence and uprooted the garden’s signs. (Photo by Will Wright)
An arch that once welcomed visitors to the garden now lays broken in two. (Photo by Will Wright)
An arch that once welcomed visitors to the garden now lies broken in two. (Photo by Will Wright)

The earlier act of vandalism late Tuesday night damaged only  a small fence and scattered signs that marked garden plots.

Covey is unsure of the cost to the garden program since the arbors were purchased before he came to the school and the birdbath was a donation.

The school currently contracts with Bayer Protective Services and a guard visits approximately five times a day on weekends, but does not maintain a constant presence.

No other school property was damaged besides a TV near the maintenance shed that was slated for recycling.

“It’s especially vulnerable out here for a lot of reasons,” Covey said. “There are breakable things everywhere and it’s very hidden from the street.”

The school will discuss the problem at an administrative meeting on Tuesday  and decide on ways to possibly beef up security.

 

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