1/31/08

Park vandalism sparks city concerns

By Sam Severn

 

Marysville City Council members urged the mayor to instigate a tougher crackdown on graffiti after a spree of vandalism damaged signs and play equipment at Jennings Park over the January 12 weekend.

The report of more than 50 spray-painted “hits” on the park, including damage to displays created by local Eagle Scouts, was announced by Parks and Recreation Director Jim Ballew at the City Council’s January 14 meeting.

Councilman Jeffrey Vaughan pleaded for an immediate response against the city’s growing graffiti problem.

“I want to see some real action on graffiti this year,” he told the Council, adding, “This is personal to me.”

Vaughan’s teenage son is a member of the Scout troop whose signs were vandalized. This is the second attack of graffiti damage to the displays at Jennings Park in recent months.

Removing the graffiti and replacing the park signs will cost the city $2,000, Ballew estimated.

Costs of cleaning up graffiti and vandalism in the city have increased 50 percent since 2006.

In 2007 the city created a Graffiti Task Force in response to pleas from the community and the City Council.  New anti-graffiti laws, along with video surveillance cameras and lights planned at Jennings and Ebey Waterfront Park in the coming months, are efforts by the city to further aid law enforcement. 

Days prior to the latest incident, Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall addressed the graffiti problem in his State of the City speech.  He called the city’s task force “a united front, committed to eradicating graffiti and exposing vandals.”

Marysville Public Works meanwhile has begun mapping occurrences of graffiti, aided by Geographical Information Systems (GIS).  The database will be used to track “taggers” when the Marysville Police Department launches its new Crime Analysis Unit later this year.

 

blog comments powered by Disqus