It looks like Benicia's graffiti problem isn't going to go away anytime soon. Vandals hit the skateboard park at Benicia's Community Park within the last couple of days. The damage is so extensive that the facility has been closed, at least temporarily. It is anyone's guess as to when it will reopen. I went up there today to see the damage. There were a few people using it despite it being closed.
Removing this graffiti will be difficult, read EXPENSIVE. It can't be powerwashed because that will pit the surface, causing a dangerous condition for skateboarders. It has to be scrubbed off.
How much more money is going to be wasted while the City of Benicia contemplates getting serious about stopping this graffiti? I've heard one estimate that Benicia is probably spending about $40,000 in abatement costs annually. Say, that's about 80 times the cost of a cheap camera system and about 16 times the cost of a professional system used by other cities. Maybe Benicia doesn't suffer from the same budget woes that everyone else is experiencing. Who knows?
Isn't it curious that the City cares enough about the recycling dumpster at the Corp Yard off E. 2nd St. to put up 3, yes 3, surveillance cameras, but so far none have been planned for the graffiti problem? I guess the dumpster is a higher priority, and for that I am truly disappointed.
..Ross Sagun
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