To aid property owners getting tagged by overzealous graffiti vandals, the city is continuing its anti-graffiti program.
Property owners in the city can apply for one free graffiti kit if their building receives an unwanted paint job.
The kit includes a gallon of paint, plastic gloves, a tray and a brush/roller.
The program, in its second year, is available until Aug. 17.
Residents can go to the community services department at City Hall to fill out an application to get the kit.
After receiving the kit, applicants have 30 days to paint over the graffiti before city staff inspect the building.
Director of community services Greg Zeeben said he found removing graffiti within a day or two of the tagging reduces the chances of re-tagging significantly.
"We find generally when we get the graffiti removed, we see a reduction in those reoccurrences happening," said Zeeben.
The city budgeted $13,000 for "costs of vandalism" in this year's budget.
This program is included in the money budgeted, according to Zeeben.
Cleaning up graffiti immediately to stop re-tagging is key to reducing vandalism costs, according to Zeeben.
"We are trying very desperately through our enforcement people and programs such as this to reduce the amount of criminal behaviour in our open spaces," said Zeeben.
Bylaw manager Ken Hunter said he too noticed that if graffiti was cleaned up immediately, a location is rarely tagged again.
"It's hard to stat graffiti because graffiti is a mischief complaint and we don't break it down to graffiti or other forms of mischief, like keying a car or doing other stupid acts ..." said Hunter. "But just as a general observation and supervising the bylaw unit, yes, I think the community is aware of it and is ahead of the game for sure."
Graffiti is addressed in the city's property amenities bylaw.
If a property gets tagged, the property owner has 21 days to clean it up, or else the city would potentially do it and cleanup costs would be felt on the owner's property taxes, according to Hunter.
He said rarely does the city have to do the cleanup.
"They want to get it off; it's about pride and ownership in our community and not only on their own property and everybody else's property," said Hunter.
The city had much less graffiti relative to other cities, he added.
City plays tag with graffiti vandals
City plays tag with graffiti vandals
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- Published on June 18th, 2009
- Published on November 3rd, 2009
- Joshua Pagé
To aid property owners getting tagged by overzealous graffiti vandals, the city is continuing its anti-graffiti program.
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Comments
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- GRAFFITI
- - November 20th, 2009 at 12:09:57
www.myspace.com/augustodeluca
THE WORLD OF STREET ART REVEALED TO EVERYBODY : ART HAS NEITHER LABELS NOR BARRIERS. -THIS IS A PERFORMANCE , A PERFORMANCE MUST BE PROVOCATIVE BY GOING AGAINST SCHEMATA AND RULES. -IF EVERYBODY AGREES,THE PERFORMANCE IS A FAILURE. -PRAISE IT OR DESPISE IT BUT PLEASE TALK ABOUT IT. -MY SPACE IS VISITED BY 80-1OO PEOPLE A DAY. -PEOPLE GET COURIOUS. -WHICH IS WHAT I WANTED. -SHOULD THE HUNTER BE A FAKER , WOULD THE PROVOCATION , THE PERFORMANCE BE SUCCESSFUL ? -WATCH THE VIDEO ON MY SPACE , WHERE DOES TRUTH END AND FICTION BEGIN ? -IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE PASSING BY IN THE STREET DO NOT MIX STREET ARTWORKS WITH ALL OTHER MEANINGLESS AND USELESS WRITING. -MY PERFORMANCE AIMS TO DRAW ATTENTION FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO STREET ART , AS IT REMAINS SUBMERGED AND EVEN HIDDEN FROM OUR VIEW. -MY SPACE BELONGS TO STREET ARTISTS TOO. -THEY CAN SHOW THEIR ARTWORKS ON IT WHENEVER THEY LIKE. -STREET ART IS POETRY . -AUGUSTO DE LUCA -
- M
- - November 19th, 2009 at 17:24:15
Cleaning the graffiti doesn't help. My garage got tagged and I repainted it. Soon after, it was tagged again. I also noticed houses, garages and other buildings throughout the community with the same thing. I feel these brats need to get caught and be made to SCRUB the mess off the buildings, not just paint over it.
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- Concerned
- - November 19th, 2009 at 08:54:57
When is the policing going to improve in that town. You mean the average cop in pa can't catch a painter. Stay the hell out of the Tim Hortons and start doing some real work in that town.
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- um
- - November 19th, 2009 at 00:12:50
Sorry but i think thats good that they are giving away free paint so you can make your place look nice and not get fined, the upkeep of your property is your responsiblilty and yours alone regardless of how the mess got there, nature makes the grass grow not you but you still have to cut it, take some owness on urselves for once, everyones complainig but i guess we could all just leave it and not paint anything and in a year or two the city would be absolutely covered and look like crap, thats a much better solution, i think the idiot fingers being pointed in the wrong direction!
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- Just Me
- - November 18th, 2009 at 23:00:09
EXCUSE ME!
When my property gets nailed I can get charged with the city cleaning it up???
That is crap.
Then I guess then I should be able to charge the city with providing inadequate policing.
I end up repainting a portion of a fence multiple times a year due to these hoodlums.... And now the city is threatening to charge me if I don't!
I think it's time these gangbangers get shut down.
OK City, Now tell us what are you doing to stop this problem. And a 'You get to paint over it' is not a solution.
How about doing something to get the juveniles off the streets. Something non-destructive to do with their time, and a curfew so they're not out tagging and vandalizing all night. -
- umm
- - November 18th, 2009 at 19:51:26
well silly and concerned why dont you two answer the question how the police are supposed to by chance drive down and alley or street or whatever and by chance catch someone in the act in the minute they take to spray a word?? wake up ppl there is graffiti in every town city across the country and hardly is anyone actually caught! at least we're trying to clean it up, give it a rest, ppl get crap for free and still b$#*(
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- disgusted
- - November 18th, 2009 at 18:58:44
The city should look to their own property before they start making taxpayers pay for clean up-the park at the west end of river street has had grafitti on it for years-certainly more than 21 days-the signposts by the river downtown are only painted 1/2 way up-guess they couldn't reach the tops-and the gazebo is only painted on the side that faces traffic-I could go on and on-this city is a joke!! Not the good people mind you-just the administration. But hey at least the mayor has comfortable chair to sit his usless back end in-loosers!!!!!
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- silly
- - November 18th, 2009 at 16:59:56
Fn A i am with u concerned help a brotha out!lol
