Vandalism and graffiti problems at Piqua’s parks caused officials to announce plans to install surveillance cameras and volunteer park rangers to cut down on criminal mischief. The Ohio Department of Transportation spends tens of thousands of dollars each year cleaning graffiti off highways, bridges and underpasses.
Graffiti degrades the appearance of structures and public spaces, and the best way to combat it is to remove or paint over tags as quickly as possible and catch offenders in the act, officials said.
They are asking for residents’ assistance in abating an activity that creates eyesores and hurts the aesthetics of the community.
“(Vandals) are devaluing property, and they are hurting the city for people who not only live here, but people who work here and travel through here,” said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s director of public works. “It creates the false impression that the city is not safe.”
By the end of May, the city of Dayton had already removed 4,870 graffiti tags, nearly twice as many as it removed in all of 2011, the city said.
An employee who handles graffiti removal was injured and was out most of last year, so the increase is partly attributable to the city finishing a backlog of jobs, officials said. But by June 1, the city had removed 66 percent more graffiti tags than it did in all of 2010 and 109 percent more than in 2009.
Costly cleaning bill
Graffiti problems at the city’s parks have worsened, and employees are spending more time cleaning up playground equipment and other public structures, officials said. Dayton spends about $68,000 annually in payroll costs to eliminate graffiti, and it shells out an estimated $2,000 each year for supplies and fuel, according to the city.
“We’ve still had an increase in the actual number of tags,” said Stovall, with the city of Dayton. “We are going to the parks on a more regular basis.”
Parks of all kinds are popular targets for so-called graffiti artists. Miamisburg’s skate park at 550 S. First St. has been closed since late June because vandals covered some ramps and walls with spray paint and tags. The city continues to search for products to eradicate the paint.
In an unrelated incident in Kettering, vandals June 19 spray-painted walls at the Skate Plaza on Stroop Road. It took about five hours to clean up the mess, and the city spent about $200 on removal. The park remained open because the damage was limited.
In Piqua, vandals have defaced bridges, structures and signs across the city, and they caused considerable damage to trail bridges and equipment in the parks, said Gary Huff, city manager.
Piqua — which spends about $14,000 a year on graffiti removal — plans to hire volunteer park rangers to provide supervision at the parks to deter visitors from misbehaving.
The city is also considering installing cameras — some hidden, some not — at spots where there has been repeated vandalism, he said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to catch the people who are causing the damage,” he said. “It’s a real nuisance.”
Hard to catch
Few graffiti vandals are caught in the act, and a lack of evidence in such cases means few vandals are identified later and prosecuted, officials said.
But Stovall said some of the graffiti in Dayton is elaborate and must have taken hours to finish. He said there must be passers-by who witness the crimes taking place, and he wishes those people would contact authorities and report the crimes.
“We need people to come forward with information,” he said.
Aside from cooperation from witnesses and additional surveillance measures, the best way to cut down on graffiti is by removing it as quickly as possible, officials said.
“The sooner it gets off the building, the less reward there is to the graffiti artist for their expenditure of time and money,” said Carl Bach, facilities manager with the Dayton Metro Library.
The library’s buildings are occasionally hit with graffiti, and a branch at 701 Troy St. was marked in March. But the library removed the paint within about a day, and a quick clean-up reduces the incentive for vandals to target the properties because the work disappears so quickly, the culprits are unable to enjoy it for long, Bach said.
The city of Trotwood requires property owners to remove graffiti within 48 hours of being notified of its existence. If the property owner does not remove the paint within 10 days, the city will perform the removal and then send the bill to the owner.
The city said the rapid removal of graffiti is an effective prevention strategy that discourages vandals from returning for repeat visits.
“We’ve had really good success,” said Scott Adams, building administrator for Trotwood. “We’re always willing to work” with property owners.
Graffiti-removal costs in many cities in the Miami Valley are paltry, but the Ohio Department of Transportation said it spends almost $37,000 each year cleaning graffiti off structures, barriers and signs along its roadways.
Staff writer Talya Flowers contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0749 or cfrolik@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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