Vandalism large expense for parks
A Coeur d’Alene Water Department crew painted over racist graffiti on the side of a Tubbs Hill water tank recently. It was something they hadn’t expected to deal with, said Jim Markley, city public works superintendent. The steel tank was coated with a special paint that was supposed to make it resistant to vandalism such as the swastikas scrawled on its side.
Yet the workers were there, trying to scrub away the hateful words and images. They gave up and painted over the rant on the large metal hull.
Vandalism – especially graffiti – is a problem in many cities in the United States, parks and recreation officials say.
Parks in Idaho and Washington are hit hard by vandals who break off sprinkler heads, pull wiring out of water timer boxes, blow up toilets and drive across lawns to spin doughnuts.
“It’s atrocious how people’s manners and respect has deteriorated,” said Kim Woodruff, Sandpoint’s parks and recreation director. “Education starts at home. The basic respect of property and other people’s stuff and space is a very fundamental thing.”
Park officials all have policies to fix problems as fast as possible, spending thousands of dollars each year – money that could be used to upgrade or help keep parks pristine, if not for the crime.
In Post Falls, city parks director Dave Fair estimated that his department spends $30,000 on vandalism each year, including new materials, labor and fuel costs. If the city didn’t have to deal with such mischief, it could hire another parks and recreation employee with the savings, Fair said.
To some parks directors, the costs associated with vandalism have become unacceptable to the point where it is being discussed more with city leaders, and some cities have even purchased camera systems trying to nab offenders.
For others, it’s simply a race to clean it up so residents don’t see it. They deal with it and move on, for the most part, because it seems like vandalism can never be snuffed out, said Taylor Bressler, Spokane’s park operations manager. He said it is hard for parks staff members to work for residents only to see their efforts ruined simply because another person decided it would be fun to wreak havoc.
“You get kind of jaded but, you know, it’s part of the business,” Bressler said. “It doesn’t mean you’re giving up, but every season some new angle comes up. … I’m still surprised by what people come up with.”
Like people who tear up newly planted flowers, Bressler said, or the recent incident in which a shop was broken into and teenagers took utility vehicles for joyrides down Spokane streets.
All parks directors interviewed said graffiti is a chronic problem for their park systems.
Bressler said his department probably carries about 15 products to clean up spray paint and other graffiti. His staff also uses a sand blaster so sensitive it can be adjusted to remove graffiti but not harm the wall or paint underneath.
But Spokane also has an area of the city where graffiti artists, called taggers, are free to do their worst to city property. The city’s downtown skate park, under Interstate 90 near Lewis and Clark High School, is a tagging-friendly zone that also must be kid-friendly.
“We keep an eye on it. If we see drug references or Hitler crap, then we take it out,” Bressler said.
Many parks and recreation departments don’t keep exact records on what vandalism costs. Sometimes only the damage is recorded. Others merely note the time spent cleaning it up. Fair said park employees sometimes simply fix something without recording it because the vandalism seems minor. Then there are departments that don’t track costs at all.
Even without records, though, department officials have an easy time recalling costs associated with certain memorable incidents.
“Somebody dropped explosives into a toilet and destroyed it for a $30,000 loss just in one restroom,” said Phil Shave, the Washington State Parks law enforcement chief. He was amazed that the toilet building, made of reinforced concrete, was demolished.
Aside from recording costs and reporting to their bosses, parks department heads in the Northwest have various ways of battling delinquents.
Fair combats crime using surveillance in five Post Falls parks.
Bressler said Spokane Parks and Recreation spends between $10,000 and $30,000 each year on vandalism. He said an additional $20,000 is spent each year to clean up graffiti. When parks are created, designers and engineers also look at strategically placing concrete benches and rocks in areas so vehicles can’t get through.
Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation Director Doug Eastwood said he includes residents in the nuisance fight.
There is still vandalism in the city, but Eastwood said it is minimal. But by having the public participate in park renovations – like when the Fort Sherman Playground was built in City Park – a sense of pride is instilled, he said.
“When we do that with the people they have ownership in our park system,” he said. “Truly at that point in time they look at it as something that’s no different than their front yard or backyard.”
That makes it easier for them to be protective of the system “so you never know whose watching you regardless of time of day,” Eastwood said.
Still, Woodruff said he wishes residents would care more and realize that even littering is a form of vandalism.
“It kills me sometimes: You’ll be two feet from a garbage can and there’ll be trash on the ground. What’s up with that?” he said.
Like the other directors, Woodruff said only public education and a continued effort to fight vandalism will help.
“Parks belong to the public; it belongs to the people.” he said. “I don’t know how you’re going to stop it.”