The obscenities that keep appearing on new playground equipment at the village’s parks have Brockport residents and officials angry. The latest "attack" occurred at the Barry Street playground sometime last week. A toddler slide was covered from top to bottom in vulgarities, as were the insides of the tunnel slides.

Other slides have been burned with cigarette lighters creating sharp edges that have to be sanded down by the department of public works. The public works crew has been able to remove some of the graffiti, but not all of it.

The graffiti problem has grown so bad this summer, according to Trustee Pete DeToy, that some families are staying away from the playgrounds because parents don’t want to expose their young children to the foul and violent language.

And it seems a special shame to Brockport officials since the new equipment was purchased and installed through a community effort aimed at enhancing the quality of children’s lives. Some of the equipment can’t be cleansed of the graffiti, it will have to be replaced.

At the September 4 village board meeting, trustees agreed that police patrols of the playgrounds should be increased. Mayor Josephine Matela also suggested additional lighting as a way to curb the vandalism. DeToy wants to catch and hold the vandals responsible.

Although there is no proof at this time, the village suspects that its own youth - Brockport teenagers - are responsible. If caught, DeToy said their parents can be held responsible for the financial damage.

In other business from the September 4 village board meeting: Acting Police Chief Doug Ziegler reported that the last two weekends have been busy for the police department. On the first Saturday night college was back in session, Ziegler said, 54 calls were received and 30 arrests were made. On Labor Day weekend, officers were called to the Village Apartments for an armed robbery home invasion. An arrest was made.

Trustees expressed concern that the Town of Sweden is investigating the cost of contracting with a different ambulance service provider. The village has long provided fire and ambulance service to the towns of Sweden and Clarkson. Sweden Supervisor Buddy Lester, in a phone interview, said he has asked two companies, Rural Metro and Monroe Ambulance, to prepare proposals for providing ambulance service to the town, but that the town does not have enough information, including what its share of the 2002 Brockport Ambulance budget would be, to make an informed decision.

The village approved a fall pick-up, similar to the one held each spring, for the week of October 29-November 2.

The board proclaimed the week of October 22-26 to be School Board Recognition Week.