by David Madrid - Aug. 19, 2011 09:27 AM
The Arizona Republic
But the vandalism was attacked in 2008 when a pilot program began using a private contractor to paint over illegal graffiti and restore damaged areas.
The pilot was a success, said Gina Montes, Avondale Neighborhood and Family Services director.
So last week, the Avondale City Council approved a $90,720 contract with Los Angeles-based Graffiti Protective Coatings for graffiti-abatement services for a year beginning Sept. 1 with three possible renewal periods.
Since May 2008, the Neighborhood and Family Services Department has contracted with Graffiti Protective Coatings to remove graffiti at city facilities, rights-of-way and parks.
"We were very happy to find this service," Montes said. "It has resolved what has become a big issue for Avondale, simply because graffiti tends to be a war of wills. The longer graffiti is left up, the longer graffiti offenders are encouraged to continue."
Since the start of the program in May 2008, Graffiti Protective Coatings has removed graffiti at 10,093 sites for a total of 298,183 square feet.
Joe Bender, 45, and Rene Mercado, 38, work for the graffiti-abatement company.
They drive around in trucks armed with paint, compressors and high-pressure spray to fight graffiti. On Wednesday, they painted a wall at an abandoned facility near Avondale Boulevard and Lower Buckeye Road. Graffiti was visible from the street.
Bender said when the contract first began, employees were painting and restoring about 200 sites a week. That number is now down to 50 per week, which Bender said proves that constantly attacking the graffiti works to reduce the tagging.
"Most of it is just high-school kids running around, writing their names on stuff," Bender said. He added that the tagging is done with spray paint, Sharpies, paint pens and even old-time fire extinguishers that can be filled with paint.
"We've gotten a lot of them (offenders) out of Avondale," Bender said.
Mercado said taggers get discouraged when their graffiti continually disappears.
"It costs them money too," Mercado said.
The contract with the private contractor has enabled the city's Code Enforcement Division to deal with graffiti more efficiently and rapidly, thus freeing up staff time for other priorities, Montes said.
The graffiti-elimination services were procured by Avondale based on a cooperative-purchasing provision in a contract Mesa has with the company.
Avondale graffiti complaints are reported to code enforcement via a graffiti hotline or by iPhone, Droid application or e-mail. Work orders are transmitted by city code staff to Graffiti Protection Coatings via iPhone.
A city code-enforcement officer or resident photographs graffiti and sends the image to the company's database. The image automatically carries the location of the vandalism through the phone's GPS system, creating an electronic work order.
In minutes, a technician can be dispatched with the right color paint to cover the graffiti.
Typically, graffiti is removed in less then 24 hours, but there is a shorter timeframe available for priority work orders.
The company also removes graffiti along designated routes that Bender and Mercado drive regularly in search of graffiti.
"Most people view our city as being very clean in terms of graffiti, and it's because of this service that we're using," Montes said.
The Arizona Republic
Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic
Joe Bender, with Graffiti Protective Coating, paints over a graffiti in Avondale.
The problem of creeping graffiti in Avondale once threatened to overtake the city.But the vandalism was attacked in 2008 when a pilot program began using a private contractor to paint over illegal graffiti and restore damaged areas.
The pilot was a success, said Gina Montes, Avondale Neighborhood and Family Services director.
So last week, the Avondale City Council approved a $90,720 contract with Los Angeles-based Graffiti Protective Coatings for graffiti-abatement services for a year beginning Sept. 1 with three possible renewal periods.
Since May 2008, the Neighborhood and Family Services Department has contracted with Graffiti Protective Coatings to remove graffiti at city facilities, rights-of-way and parks.
"We were very happy to find this service," Montes said. "It has resolved what has become a big issue for Avondale, simply because graffiti tends to be a war of wills. The longer graffiti is left up, the longer graffiti offenders are encouraged to continue."
If not addressed, graffiti can attract other forms of crime and street delinquency to a neighborhood, while also decreasing residents' feeling of safety. Graffiti also decreases property values, city officials said.
During 2010-11, the company removed graffiti at 3,007 sites totaling 61,457 square feet.Since the start of the program in May 2008, Graffiti Protective Coatings has removed graffiti at 10,093 sites for a total of 298,183 square feet.
Joe Bender, 45, and Rene Mercado, 38, work for the graffiti-abatement company.
They drive around in trucks armed with paint, compressors and high-pressure spray to fight graffiti. On Wednesday, they painted a wall at an abandoned facility near Avondale Boulevard and Lower Buckeye Road. Graffiti was visible from the street.
Bender said when the contract first began, employees were painting and restoring about 200 sites a week. That number is now down to 50 per week, which Bender said proves that constantly attacking the graffiti works to reduce the tagging.
"Most of it is just high-school kids running around, writing their names on stuff," Bender said. He added that the tagging is done with spray paint, Sharpies, paint pens and even old-time fire extinguishers that can be filled with paint.
"We've gotten a lot of them (offenders) out of Avondale," Bender said.
Mercado said taggers get discouraged when their graffiti continually disappears.
"It costs them money too," Mercado said.
The contract with the private contractor has enabled the city's Code Enforcement Division to deal with graffiti more efficiently and rapidly, thus freeing up staff time for other priorities, Montes said.
The graffiti-elimination services were procured by Avondale based on a cooperative-purchasing provision in a contract Mesa has with the company.
Avondale graffiti complaints are reported to code enforcement via a graffiti hotline or by iPhone, Droid application or e-mail. Work orders are transmitted by city code staff to Graffiti Protection Coatings via iPhone.
A city code-enforcement officer or resident photographs graffiti and sends the image to the company's database. The image automatically carries the location of the vandalism through the phone's GPS system, creating an electronic work order.
In minutes, a technician can be dispatched with the right color paint to cover the graffiti.
Typically, graffiti is removed in less then 24 hours, but there is a shorter timeframe available for priority work orders.
The company also removes graffiti along designated routes that Bender and Mercado drive regularly in search of graffiti.
"Most people view our city as being very clean in terms of graffiti, and it's because of this service that we're using," Montes said.
No comments:
Post a Comment