WAKEFIELD — The outdoor basketball courts at the Galvin Middle School are popular with players of all ages and who can be seen using the facility on Main Street for a good part of most summer days.
Unfortunately, the courts will be closed at night for the next week. Over the weekend, they were damaged by paint splatters, and the area was littered with an excessive amount of loose trash. As a result, they need to be restored and cleaned up.
The town sent out a notice yesterday that the courts will be closed at night this week. Day camps and scheduled programming will not be impacted.
On the town’s site, officials said, “We welcome players of all ages to our courts and expect the area to be treated respectfully. We look forward to reopening for evening recreation next week.”
The Recreation Department oversees the area. It has a pretty detailed list of things you can and cannot do at the town’s athletic facilities.
At the town’s outdoor basketball courts, for example, no alcohol or controlled substances are allowed. Also prohibited are tobacco products, foul or abusive language, glass bottles/glass containers, bikes, skateboards and strollers, dogs (other than service dogs) or other animals.
And at the end of any permitted event, the area should be policed with all trash collected and removed from the facility or placed in trash receptacles.
Because the town is allowing camps and other scheduled programs to continue, they are not likely to be the source of the paint splatter and trash. But the Recreation Department lays out very clearly what it expects.
“Any violation of the permit policy can result in loss of permits denial of permit requests, fees may also be forfeited. Possible fines may be applied in cases of destruction of property due to vandalism, misuse of permit, use of field without a permit or use of a field when fields are deemed closed. As a guideline, “Good Neighbor” conduct should be followed when it comes to parking, trash, noise level, etc. The Recreation Director reserves the right to revoke a permit for any reason. These shall include, without limitation, all applicable Town ordinances and such further rules and regulations as may be promulgated and in effect from time to time by the Town and/or the Recreation Commission.”
