It's all aboard in Waterbury, but some Metro-North commuters worry about what will happen to the cars they leave behind at the Meadow Street station.
"I got a little nervous when I saw the glass on the ground," said Jose Fontanez as he prepared to board a train with his family.
Many of the concerns stem from the station's parking lot, and an abandoned building next to the lot where broken glass and trash are common. Residents say vandals strike on a regular basis, breaking into cars and into the building.
"Over the years, I've seen a number of smashed windows here," said Pete Montville of Naugatuck.
Neither the parking lot or the building are owned by the City of Waterbury. Even so, the city sends crews to occasionally clean up the mess, and city police patrol the parking lot.
"I don't perceive it as a large problem. Again, it's just some paper debris, some litter, but again it's a gateway to the city and we would expect cooperation from the D.O.T. and Metro North," said Joseph Geary, the Director of Operations for the City of Waterbury.
The State of Connecticut owns both the parking lot and the abandoned building. D.O.T. spokesman Kevin Nursick says the agency does have a "good neighbor policy" and will do a better job trying to keep the area clean and the building secure.
Along with city police, Metro-North security patrols the parking lot. A Metro-North spokesman did not return our request for comment.
Commuters hope the city, state, and Metro-North join together to solve the problem. "It's been an ongoing problem," said Montville.
