- More vandalism at Juab Fine Arts Auditorium
|
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Perhaps the best thing the county can do is install surveillance cameras in the county courthouse and make certain that parents police the halls during events held in the cultural arts center.
Clifton Taylor, representing the Juab County Fine Arts Council (JFAC), and Linchee Lund, who is over the cleaning and care of the county building, both met with county commissioners to discuss a recent vandalism which occurred during a dance recital.
Nikkii Sperry, who is dance chair on JFAC, held a dance recital at the facility recently. During the May recital, some juveniles vandalized the women's restroom facility.
"Nikkii (Sperry) confronted some juveniles but they said they were with their parents," said Taylor.
However, she found out that that was not the case and that the boys had simply come into the county building and were not with anyone.
"There was no permanent damage," said Taylor.
However, there was a huge mess. One of the toilets had been plugged and there was water all over the floor. The toilet seat covers had been thrown around, there was soap all over the counters and the room had been toilet-papered. Garbage had been thrown about also.
The night of the event, said Taylor, it took him nearly three and a half hours to clean up downstairs by the vending machines. There was a huge mess left.
He had been at the event to run the lights and sound and then, after it was over, he ended up cleaning up.
"Isn't it the responsibility of the people holding the event to clean up after it?" asked Lund.
The case of vandalism is being investigated by the police department and photos of the mess were taken, said Taylor.
In the future, if someone is running around the county building, the police will be called. The police had indicated a willingness to put a halt to vandalism during events.
"More than 400 people attended the dance review," said Taylor.
It was wonderful to have such a facility. There were only two places in the community where such events could be held—the junior high auditorium and the theater at the county building.
The junior high had been used by the high school for end of school events, such as the band and choir concerts, the Eighth Grade Promotional and other activities.
It was good, said Taylor that there was another venue for programs to use.
New rails have been installed on the stairs in the theater and new speakers are going into the facility, he said.
Lund said she thought there needed to be some rules that would be enforced by the Fine Arts Council when they rented the theater.
She also thought that there were certain doors that should be locked. Not all of them needed to be open.
"What we need is a check-off list for those renting the theater," said Chad Winn, commission chairman. "Kids don't read the rules, however."
One of the items that the commission could insist upon would be that a few of the parents or adults associated with events at the building be appointed as hall monitors and keep an eye out for those who were misbehaving.
The police could then be called immediately, said Winn.
Commissioners will also investigate what it would take to have a surveillance system installed in the building. It would need to have several cameras to make certain all of the building could be viewed.
"We have talked about it for a long time," said Val Jones, commissioner. "I think we need to look into doing it now."
Taylor said he thought that was a good idea. One of the first things the officer did when he arrived was to ask if there were surveillance cameras so the film could be reviewed.
"When the building was burglarized a couple of years ago," said Jones, "it was a surveillance camera that made it so the burglars were caught."
The burglars went to a second place where their actions were caught on camera.
"It would be a good thing to have," said Jones.
|
