Lafayette Club Responds to Trespassing
January 11, 2019
Lafayette’s Rancho Colorados Swim and Tennis Club installed security cameras over winter break in an attempt to discourage further trespassing and vandalism.
A number of teenagers– Campolindo students usually among them– regularly climbed over Rancho’s gates in order to gain access to the swim club as a convenient location for partying, according to lifeguard director Jorge Torres. Activities continued despite winter’s cold weather, with partygoers finding warm refuge in the pool’s indoor lifeguard office.
As a result, facilities manager Ryan Ruhl installed a set of surveillance cameras that are set to trigger an alarm to the police upon activation.
“It is unfortunate that we have been vandalized so much that the club was forced to get a camera system. Please do not ever make Rancho your destination to drink or hang out when the place is closed [for the season],” warned Torres in a text to the pool’s lifeguarding staff, which contains many Campolindo students and alumni.
On multiple occasions, the police have been summoned to break up parties taking place at Rancho, and nearby residents reported seeing a consistent flow of cars heading towards the club on weekend nights, many with Campolindo booster stickers on their windows.
Senior Katherine Hawkins, who lives next door to the club, verified the abundance of activity on Friday and Saturday evenings and expressed her disappointment regarding the recent events. “You can hear it all from my house, especially if there is music,” said Hawkins, who added that her family was bothered by the constant noise.
“People being up there didn’t used to bother me because it was usually kids that were affiliated with the club or were close friends, but it’s sad to see it so disrespected by non-Rancho members. It’s too bad that the cameras are going up, but I can see why the board sees it as a necessity,” said Hawkins.
“I’ve only stopped by Rancho a couple times because my friends were there and I could see how it could get out of hand, sometimes there were a lot of people there,” added senior Julia Bond. “It’s a bummer no one can go there anymore, but it definitely makes sense.”
