Vandals tag Lynn landmark High Rock Tower

LYNN – Vandals hit High Rock Tower, tagging it with red and blue, and it did not make for a festive Fourth of July for anyone who visited the local landmark.”It came on quick and was upsetting because there was an event scheduled for the third,” said Department of Public Works Superintendent Deputy Commissioner Lisa Nerich.DPW workers did their best to clean up the tagging, but on Monday much of the scrawls on the stonework could still be seen.The moniker “squad X” was spray-painted in blue on the left at the top of the front steps, which lead to the front door of High Rock Tower, and in red on the right. Remnants of the same tag could just be seen on the arched, dark metal doors and it was left again on the inside wall to the left.”Squad X” was also spray-painted in large red letters on the outer wall so anyone accessing the tower via the handicap ramp could also see the name and at left on the concrete pad of the bike rack at the bottom of the path leading to the stairs.Nerich said she believes the vandals hit sometime early Thursday morning, but she is unsure when. Workers went to clean up the area in preparation for the event on the third but didn’t notice the spray paint until they went back later in the morning. DPW workers scrubbed at the already dried paint, but Nerich said the markings left on the stonework needed to be power washed to be removed.Community Development Director James Marsh said lately the city has been relying on the Essex County Sheriff’s office, which has a program where non-violent offenders perform community service, including graffiti cleanup, for such projects. Nerich said she put a call into the sheriff’s office Thursday and is still waiting to hear back.This is not the first time High Rock has been hit by vandals. Marsh said it happened before, but they got lucky.”In an attempt to curb it, we utilized one of our mobile camera units and caught a teen in the act a few years ago,” he said.The cameras were not at the park at the time of this tagging, but Marsh said he is still hoping they will get lucky and nab someone for the deed.”I just hope people will take a little more pride in the city and stop vandalizing other people’s property,” Nerich said.