Community takes action in response to vandalism in Lewiston
(Photo Courtesy: Jen Welling): Flowers were ripped out from the median in downtown Lewiston overnight. Vandals ripped through the downtown area.
Lewiston — Friday morning, a community awoke to hanging flower pots destroyed or stolen, 10 LED solar lights broken, and flowers ripped up and dispersed all over the street. Vandals struck the two-block downtown area in the night.
“It’s definitely not something that happens in our community,” said Resident and Downtown Development Authority Chairperson Shawn Huston.
Huston, a lifelong resident, considers this crime a rarity. Several members of the community were heading to work and getting the day started when they noticed the destruction. Around 6:45 a.m. a few of the businesses in the town along with Lewiston Lawn Service put everything aside to start cleaning and re-beautifying the destruction. The whole scene was cleaned up by 8:00 a.m.
“Historically, Lewiston has always been a town that watches out for each other,” said Albert Township Supervisor Michael Dombrowski. “When there is something to be done, people do it.”
The response from the community showed pride in a downtown that has seen a resurgence in the past few years. More businesses have opened or revamped. A number of gabions sit at the center of the streets with flowers and solar LED lights. People can find hanging flower pots throughout the downtown businesses. New benches have been assembled for folks to enjoy the quiet and peaceful streets of Lewiston. For a vandal to hit and put the work back, it was extremely frustrating to many residents.
“Of course you’re disappointed that people would do that to an area that you’ve spent such hard work to re-beautify,” said Huston. “What I got at the end was how energized you can get to see our community step up to something like that.”
Anyone with any information on the vandalism is asked to contact the Montmorency County Sheriff’s Office.
(PHOTO COURTESY: Grace Carroll & Jennifer Welling)
