Might Be More Popular If The Effort Weren’t Underwritten By Earl Scheib
You had me until you got to the part about slapping a couple coats of cheap house paint on my beautiful stone wall:
Posted: April 2nd, 2008 | Filed under: Followed By A Perplexed Stroke Of The Chin, Staten IslandThe public war against ugly graffiti scrawled on borough walls and fences must be fought on a private front.
And to help battle the “tags” on homes and businesses, City Councilmen James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio want Staten Islanders to sign a waiver that grants cleanup crews permission to enter private property with paint, power washers and solvents in hand, to clean up the mess as soon as it’s seen — for free.
When it comes to tackling the graffiti scourge, “the sooner you get it down, the better,” Oddo said.
But until now, waiting for permission from property owners has been the biggest source of delay.
To solve that problem and make the anti-graffiti efforts as persistent as the graffiti vandals, the councilmen will distribute the waivers to local home- and business owners in areas where graffiti is an issue.
“It’s hard enough to own a home or business without having to worry about idiots defacing your property,” Ignizio said.
Once the paperwork is signed, graffiti removal teams can clean up any defaced property, but before signing, be warned: The waiver stipulates the paint may be done in blocks or patches, and the paint color may not match exactly and may cover natural stone.
So far, two homeowners and two businesses, including Planet Wings on Lincoln Avenue in Grant City have taken up the offer.
“Even if you don’t have it now, send it back so we can go on your property immediately and bring it down,” Oddo said of the graffiti, which he called “an Islandwide embarrassment.”