Vandals are poor sports

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Raking fresh dirt around the infield and spreading lime across the outfield aren’t the only important chores facing youth sports organizers in Fox Chase this time of year.
Once again, leaders of the Fox-Rok Athletic Association and Fox Chase Soccer Club have been left with some significant building repair work in the aftermath of last month’s vandalism of the concession stand and clubhouse that the groups share at Fox Chase Recreation Center.
One night, right around Valentine’s Day, unknown individuals kicked in the dead-bolted exterior doors to the boys and girls restrooms. Inside the rooms, they ripped down ceiling panels, shattered toilet bowls, tore off baseboard radiator covers and caused thousands of dollars in damages.
Vandalism is nothing new at the concession stand, which the organizations built a decade ago at a cost of around $100,000. The building is constructed of cinderblocks.
But the latest incident is the worst they’ve seen in a while. The groups are already working with the local Town Watch and police to try to prevent it from happening again.
"Our objective is to get kids off the street to play sports and to occupy their time. We try to improve it all the time," said Ken Warner, the treasurer of Fox-Rok.
"We’re trying to create a safe atmosphere for boys and girls here," added Kurt Erick, the president of Fox-Rok, which will open youth baseball season with its annual parade on Huntingdon Pike and Rhawn Street on Saturday, April 12, at 8 a.m.
By all accounts, both Fox-Rok and the Fox Chase Soccer Club are thriving in that role. Founded in 1951, Fox-Rok has about 1,800 families in its baseball, softball, football, basketball and cheerleading programs. FCSC has about 1,100 families registered in its intramural and travel programs, including some kids as young as 4.
Of course all of those kids and parents aren’t generally the ones causing problems at the rec center. Rather, the troublemakers are the ones who like to hang out there after closing time when there isn’t any adult supervision.
"I’ve been up here between nine p.m. and midnight when we suspect the vandalism is going on," said Steve Phillips, president of Fox Chase Town Watch. "I get a visual of the kids and most of them are not Fox-Rok or Fox Chase Soccer players. … These are new kids who, in my opinion, aren’t necessarily from the neighborhood."
Phillips believes that the recreation center has again become a destination for teens from other neighborhoods looking to mingle with one another. The facility meets many of their requirements, including plenty of space to roam and places to stay out of sight of neighbors and police.
"In the hallways at their schools, they have common friends and they say, ‘Let’s meet up at the rec,’" Phillips said.
The Town Watch and sports organization members routinely find empty containers from alcoholic beverages around the grounds. Sometimes, the mess is worse than a bit of litter.
On Super Bowl Sunday 1991, youths broke into the clubhouse by ripping a metal grate from a jalousie window. That was after they mangled but were unable to penetrate a drop-down security gate over the door.
Soccer Club and Fox-Rok officials found the remains of three 30-packs of beer inside. The intruders urinated on the floor and broke a synthetic countertop.
A smaller building formerly used by the groups as the main concession stand has also been a common target. One time, Erick said, kids scaled the roof of the old stand and lighted a construction cone on fire on the roof. When someone spotted them, they hopped off the roof and left the fire ablaze. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before the whole place burned down.
Setting other smaller fires seems to be a common pastime for the kids, according to Warner. They’ll often stuff combustibles into holes in the cinderblocks and light them on fire, leaving burn marks behind.
Likewise, graffiti is a steady problem on the concession stands and other facilities and equipment around the rec center.
"During soccer season, we have goalposts out. Every weekend we come up here and the posts are down or broken or they’ve been tipped over," said Jim Tracey, president of the soccer club. "We’ll have games that day and we’ll have to rig up the post."
Goalposts cost about $700 apiece to replace and a couple hundred dollars to repair, he added.
Other times, kids have ripped rain gutters from the clubhouse, Warner said.
Last month’s damage was the first major vandalism to the bathrooms, which the groups had built in 2003 as an addition to the clubhouse. The facilities are generally unlocked throughout the day and available for use by anybody, regardless if they’re involved in an organized sport or pick-up game.
"They threw something through the windows on both sides," Tracey said. "They broke the boys’ toilet. In the girls’ bathroom, they destroyed every ceiling tile."
"It’s gotten to the point that we’re looking to put overhead doors on," Erick said.
The problem is, those security doors cost about $1,000 each. The groups generally don’t have money budgeted for unexpected costs like that. So members inevitably wind up paying extra.
"It’s the kids from both organizations who suffer," Erick said.
Phillips has met with officials in the 2nd Police District to work out a strategy. The main thing, the Town Watch leader said, is to enforce curfew in the rec center.
"The bottom line is, when the rec is closed, nobody should be up there," he said.
Capt. Mike McCarrick, commander of the 2nd district, said he also maintains close contact with John Curry, the rec leader at Fox Chase. The captain hopes that the district will soon get a couple of off-road motorcycles back in service to help them patrol rec centers and parks.
However, McCarrick cautioned, Fox Chase is one of numerous spots in the district in need of police presence. There are six rec centers, as well as three parks and a railroad corridor.
"The crux of our plan with the recs will be motor bikes and bicycle patrols," McCarrick said. "At Fox Chase, they’re blessed that they probably have the best Town Watch."
Warner, the Fox-Rok treasurer, thinks that local parents can help, too.
"My message is, don’t allow your kids to come up (to the rec) after hours," Warner said. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com