Warden may purchase paint sprayer

Rick Martin Warden Police Chief

by Herald Staff Writer & Cameron Probert
| March 22, 2012 6:00 AM

WARDEN - Warden officials are considering purchasing equipment to help remove graffiti, following concerns raised by a resident.

Police Chief Rick Martin and Mayor Tony Massa are discussing having some inexpensive equipment available to cover graffiti as quickly as possible.

"The mayor and I are probably a little hyper-sensitive to graffiti. Relatively speaking we are usually pretty good at removing graffiti, and we really don't have the amount of tagging as in the past," Martin stated. "The mayor was talking about a battery-powered portable sprayer that a quart can could be attached to the sprayer, and we could effectively cover the graffiti. Right now, we're still using rollers and paint brushes."

The discussions came after Warden resident Arthur Mendez brought concerns about graffiti to the city council. The resident complained about instances where the graffiti wasn't removed.

"We do have a list and we're working on that," Martin said. "We've identified it. Now we're going after it. Some is complete. Some is not, but it's a work in progress."

Massa pointed out the cold weather delayed removing the graffiti, saying the latex paint doesn't stick during winter. The ordinance doesn't require property owners to remove graffiti during adverse or cold weather.

"We don't want somebody having to paint their house when it's freezing outside. That paint is going to fall off," he said. "If people see it riding over the winter a little bit it's because we don't want somebody to have to paint their house and then repaint it in the spring."

The issues involving gangs and graffiti arose during an Association of Grant County Cities and Towns, Massa said. He noted most cities are struggling with the same issues Warden is involving graffiti.

"We're not alone," he said.