Dalton Police Department

Tuesday July 13, 2010

DALTON -- Town officials and residents are upset about the destruction of the summer flowers that adorned the Benjamin-Muraca Memorial Bridge on Main Street.

The vandalism that occurred overnight Friday, according to police, was one of several destructive acts over a three-day period in Dalton. Sgt. Jeffrey Coe said the rash of vandalism reported July 8, 9 and 10 also involved several items stolen from unlocked cars and lawn furniture being destroyed.

"We believe more than one individual is involved as a couple groups of teenagers have been seen out between 1 and 4 a.m.," Coe said on Monday. "We don't believe all the cases are related."

Police are still seeking out the vandals, including the ones who picked clean all eight wrought iron baskets on the Benjamin-Muraca Memorial Bridge.

"Everything was just ripped out of the baskets, maybe two or three geraniums were left," said Annmarie Cicchetti. "One of the baskets was knocked to the ground, but still attached to the railing."

Cicchetti chairs the Dalton Beautification Commission, which each year plants and maintains the flower boxes on the bridge spanning the Housatonic River. The group of 12 volunteers also does about six other plantings around town, including the town library, Wahconah Regional High School and the median at the intersection of Routes 8 and 9.

Cicchetti said about $200 worth of flowers were destroyed, but the eight wrought iron flower baskets, which each cost $100, remained intact as they were still secured to the bridge railing.

"We had a problem once before when someone tried to steal a basket," she said, "but we haven't had this kind of destruction before."

Nevertheless, the flower baskets were removed on Monday and put away for the year, in part as a precautionary measure.

"If we put them back up, we fear they may be vandalized again," said Cicchetti. "Also the destruction was so great, it would be costly to replace all the flowers."

The Dalton Beautification Commission relies on private donations and a $500 stipend from the town to spend the entire summer keeping Dalton beautiful.

"They're out there every Monday night watering and pruning the flowers," said Selectman Thomas S. Szczepaniak.

"They put their heart into planting those flowers," said Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Louisa Horth. "So to have something like this happen is heartbreaking.

Cicchetti said the vandalism is also an affront to Cpl. Gary T. Benjamin and Lance Sgt. Patrick J. Muraca for whom the bridge was dedicated in May 2009. The two Dalton residents were killed in 1969 fighting in the Vietnam War.

"Considering it's a memorial bridge, the vandalism is an insult to the soldiers and their families," she said.