Many people in Clarkston are upset after a tiny structure that was put in place to benefit the community was vandalized.
Among those most upset is Jennifer Herrmann, who serves as a girl scout leader for Troop 13363. Last weekend, someone set fire to the books inside The Little Free Library in Clarkson's Depot Park.
"Just that anybody would want to hurt something that was gifted to the community," said Herrmann, in recounting her initial reaction to the malicious act. "It's not our library, it's the community's library and for somebody just to set it on fire is heartbreaking."
The design and construction of the two little libraries helped the eight troop member the Girl Scouts' silver award. It was a labor of love for the eight members of Troop 13363, who spent last fall and winter building and painting two little libraries. The second location is in downtown Clarkston. The libraries have been in place since June.
"These girls were extremely proud and we know how much the community loves these libraries and we love that," Herrmann said. "That's one of the reason why we love living in Clarkson, that the community really supports these things."
There have been other instances of vandalism in the park over the years, according to city manager Carole Eberhardt. She says this act has generated a lot of reaction from residents.
"When I posted it on Facebook on the city's Positively Clarkson page, the number of people who were totally outraged and were willing to step forward and help was pretty overwhelming," Eberhardt said.
"For someone just to destroy it is really heartbreaking but we know we can fix it," Herrmann said. "We'll get it back and running as soon as we can."
A man who lives in the community has already volunteered to provide the necessary repair work, according to Herrmann.
