The Observation Deck

How long should it take to remove graffiti from city property? I noticed on Wednesday that the stone entrance sign at Lakewood Park had been painted with graffiti. I immediately contacted my councilman and in turn he contacted the city. I saw a worker scrubbing at it for a little while yesterday with a small brush and a rag. I assumed he had decided it would take more and assumed work would resume on it today. Nope it's still there and still looks awful. This is just another example of how Lakewood Park is going down hill. It is a beautiful park that serves many people and will host two children's events tomorrow. It's a shame that graffiti will great them. I would have thought that the city would have gone above and beyond to get the sign back in pristine condition. I figure the graffiti will remain as the graffiti has remained on the side of the Youth Services building. We wonder why people don't care to maintain their properties, why should they if even the city won't maintain it's properties.

Today is Friday (as of 2 hours ago) and a lot of people do not work on Fridays, whether public or private sector.

Secondly how can you expect the city to do a decent job of cleaning graffiti when they have trouble shoveling sidewalks in front of city property or have trouble implementing citistat in under 30 years?

I don't know if there is a lot we can do other than convince ourselves that at least we are better off than a third world country. Do you really think it's going to change because maybe a council seat changes or even if the mayor is replaced?

Doug

Doug-

Just one thing: CitiStat isn't something that is implemented in 30 days. The city has been working very closely with the CitiStat people and following their timeline and advice regarding where and how to implement the program.

FWIW

Ask not what your city can do for you, but what you can do for your COMMUNITY. Go get it yourself.

ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for JFK

I thought it was "what Marilyn can do for JFK".

Ask not what your city can do for you, but what you can do for your COMMUNITY. Go get it yourself.

Are you suggesting I take off the graffiti myself???? If you are suggesting that, then why should I pay taxes?? Maintenance is something I except the city to do, not that they do it. Should I really have to clean off graffiti?

If you are referring to something else then please accept my apologies.

Danielle Masters wrote:

Ask not what your city can do for you, but what you can do for your COMMUNITY. Go get it yourself.

Are you suggesting I take off the graffiti myself???? If you are suggesting that, then why should I pay taxes?? Maintenance is something I except the city to do, not that they do it. Should I really have to clean off graffiti?

Danielle

I find this whole post pretty confusing. the only person cleaning graffiti off of a building the the punk or his/her parents. If that person cannot be found and it is private property, it should fall to property owners. I know of one very nice limestone building that was tagged, and the public works gave them some really good stuff to get it off.

What I am wondering is, we all now prices are going up. We all know that no one wants more taxes. It seems everyday we are asking some to do more and more for less and less. At some point the lines cross.

I have to think you know we can all do more personally. You were shoveling walks for others in a blizzard! I am not saying the city cannot do better, I am saying we all can do better.

If I missed the point, just kick me next time you see me.


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I find this whole post pretty confusing

JOB

Ditto for me. On one hand, we have had posts (on other threads) indicating that if citizens volunteered to undertake [union] city work, there would be a huge squawk. I believe it was in the context of maintaining parks, athletic facilities......
Does cleaning up grafitti fit into this concern, or are there certain service jobs that volunteer citizen activists/vigilantes may undertake without violating union work rules? I mean, I would assume that if a given job isn't being done, that it would be okay to step in as a volunteer....

Jeff

Although i was trying to make a point, i was also trying to be cute. I am in it with Mr. O'Bryan, to a degree. We all need to do more for our community. That is why that word was accented. This is OUR community and we are responsible personaly for the upkeep. Which is one of the reasons we agree to pay taxes, however if the city is just not getting to it quick enough or hiring insufficient help, then its time to take it into your own hands. Either clean it up yourself or pay some one to do so and try to get the city to reimburse you. And if they wont try to make it a charitable tax write off. If that doesnt work, Then just rest in peace knowing that you helped in the upkeep of your community.

This is OUR community and we are responsible personaly for the upkeep. Which is one of the reasons we agree to pay taxes, however if the city is just not getting to it quick enough or hiring insufficient help, then its time to take it into your own hands. Either clean it up yourself or pay some one to do so and try to get the city to reimburse you. And if they wont try to make it a charitable tax write off. If that doesnt work, Then just rest in peace knowing that you helped in the upkeep of your community.

You have got to be kidding me. The city poorly attempted to clean up the graffiti. Lakewood Park is supposed to be our gem in this city and yet no one thinks its a big deal that the stone entrance sign into the park has been vandalized and isn't being cleaned up. I guess I hold this city to too high of a standard when I expect maintenance. I don't fault the city for the vandalism but frankly Lakewood Park looking decent should be important, obviously it's not. The graffiti not being cleaned up is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I have been complaining for months but I don't have the cash to replace mulch, swing sets, signs, chains, and clean up graffiti. I assume my tax dollars should go to pay for that. Could the mayor or my councilman please chime in if I am wrong and let me know if I need to pay for these things out of my own pocket.

Here are my pictures of Lakewood Park.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... ewood-park

They don't show the true state only a small glimpse. BTW while speaking to a friend today she stated she won't take her children to Lakewood Park she said it looked like something from a "third world country". This is what parents think and that is unacceptable. I want action, I want the park cleaned.

BTW Chris, I am a stay at home mother. We have five children. When I say I can't afford to replace broken equipment or pay to have someone do it, I mean it. I give so much time to this community, I don't think asking for clean parks is too much to ask for.

Well im heading in that direction tomarrow, maybe ill clean it up myself. I do not wish to insult you. I think to a degree we are on the same page. I love my community, but im not going to leave or look the other way beacause things are not getting done, its time to do them ourselves. We all need to make it our business to know a little more about our council people. There are Major issues concerning our community and its time to get things done.

Danielle Masters wrote:

Here are my pictures of Lakewood Park.

Danielle, your pictures say a lot. Who does the vandalism and who drops the garbage on the ground? That's what I'd like to know. I could be wrong, but Probably kids. That's what I see. When I see it I always wonder if the parent ever taught the kid right from wrong. But then I figure the parent is probably the jerk I saw this morning throw an empty cigarette pack out the window of his car...

I like Lakewood park. The city needs to jump in here. I agree, where's the councilman and/or Mayor. You'd think they would really want to keep the park polished up. The parks dept has it's own problems though. Have you seen Bunts Merl Park. Talk about trash. It's a hang out for kids. There's a park bench that is always pulled back near the tracks out of site where kids hang out at night doing who knows what. You know what the city told us? They can't do anything about it... nice.

Danielle Masters wrote:

she stated she won't take her children to Lakewood Park she said it looked like something from a "third world country". This is what parents think and that is unacceptable.

That's been a long time problem. Didn't the city use to have an interpreter at Lakewood park to help in disputes?

Like I said, I like Lakewood Park. I hope they get it cleaned up. Whoever is in charge of the parks should call around to local Boy Scout Troops and see if any scouts are looking for Eagle Projects and/or other community service hours. They could maybe clean up and do minor repairs to swings and so on. Or is there rules/laws/unions against that? I really don't know.

The schools, the library, other construction going on all seem like steps forward. But we also need to keep an eye on the parks and so on. Like I've said before, if you are going to sell your house you clean it up. Aren't we in affect trying to sell Lakewood as a good place to live? Clean it up.

Joe

Jim -

While I agree that the individuals responsible should be made to clean their own messes, and that private property owners should tend to issues that occur to their own building in a timely fashion, the issue here occurred on public property - making it the city's problem.

(assuming that they do not have the vandals responsible)

So while I agree with you - I also agree with Danielle. We expect that a private owner would have graffiti cleaned ASAP (which in my mind is counted by days - not weeks) so I expect the same from the city.

Chris, et.al. -

While I am all for helping out when we can - it is a bit ridiculous to say that the individual citizens should be out there cleaning the parks, scrubbing graffiti (which is no easy task in some cases depending upon what it was created with), raking or shoveling public lands.

If I wanted to live in a commune I would have chosen a commune.

Instead I chose Lakewood - a city that used to be known throughout northeast Ohio for its exemplary city services, tough policing, and high housing standards.

Speaking only for myself - I am not about to abandon that image of Lakewood and simply accept that times have changed.

Putting the flame-wear on....

Charyn

The suggestion that Lakewood citizens clean and maintain the parks themselves is insulting. The condition Lakewood Park and other parts of the city are in is embarrassing.