It wasn’t the first time Sandi Schmidt had seen evidence of vandalism at the old school but it was the last straw.
She and a friend who frequent the playground at the now shuttered annex of Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School, which is used by the community as an informal dog park, were walking toward the back of the building last Tuesday afternoon when they heard giggling coming from inside the school. A window had been smashed sometime over the Thanksgiving long weekend and two bicycles were leaning up against the wall of the newer addition in order to gain access to the tall window.
Schmidt said she had cleaned up broken glass, and garbage in the past and was getting tired of it so this time she called the police, and waited.
She said her friend yelled at the youth inside, that they were busted and the cops were on the way.
A police officer arrived in time to see a group of youth who had fled from the side door, run down Caroline Street toward Mill.
Unable to fit the bikes in the cruiser, the officer stashed the bikes in the bushes, but one had been retrieved by Thursday morning, presumably by its owner.
“I would love to see these kids have to clean up the glass and the garbage,” said Schmidt.
Huronia West OPP said the investigating officer was to notify the owner of the building and that police had not gained access to see if there was any damage to the inside of the building.
The old school building at 35 Caroline St. W. has sat empty since it closed in 2014 and was subsequently purchased in 2019 by James Massie of Fennelwood Corp.
The Echo has made several attempts to contact the owners to ask about plans for the property.
Schmidt said the owners have given their blessing to use the property as a park in the meantime.
“We are very grateful that we can use it because there is no dog park,” said Schmidt.