Teaming up to get rid of graffiti

BY CINDY TOOPES COURIER STAFF WRITER

OTTUMWA — Partnership and community. It’s one way to defeat the writing on the wall.

The “writing” is today’s graffiti that’s on so many walls in the city. The ancient “writing on the wall” in the Bible’s Book of Daniel was an omen of danger.

Graffiti isn’t life-threatening, but the city’s health department does view it as a public nuisance. Health Director Jody Gates said graffiti is “one of the many things that makes our community look bad.”

The “partnership” involved Tony Diaz, the Hispanic Life Skills coordinator of First Resources, who brought his labor force to the Fraternal Order of Eagles building at Second and Green streets; the Eagles, who donated paint; Rick Lewis of the city’s Make Ottumwa Shine Committee; and the city health department.

Diaz said his effort also involved the Eighth Judicial District. He brought his labor force to the Eagles because wayward artists had written several things on the alley side of the building.

Gates said a group started removing graffiti last summer and worked on some buildings on East Main Street. Diaz was also involved in that effort.

“They have worked as time and resources have allowed, but we were limited on the budget,” she said. “We have additional resources this year and we’re beginning to remove graffiti where building owners have permitted.”

Gates believes it’s important to have graffiti removed “each and every time it’s applied.” She has gathered information from “all across the country” and the answer is the same.

“The faster we remove graffiti, the greater the chance a place won’t be [written on] again,” she said. “If we’re persistent, the graffiti people will give up, or go to another area, or grow up.”

Gates is pleased there are people willing to volunteer and remove the eyesores. She said the Make Ottumwa Shine volunteers work on graffiti while out on cleanup projects and the police department is more involved in graffiti due to gang-related activity.

“People are talking about it and a few other groups are working, even if in small ways,” Gates said. “Our community will look better when the graffiti is gone.”

Bill Allen, First Resources’ coordinator of youth services, said the people in Diaz’s group are “giving back to the community.” First Resources is a nonprofit social service agency that helps people deal with particular situations.

“We hope we can get interest from business owners in this process also and may be able to get donations to help us buy paint and supplies so we can continue to do it,” Allen said.

Diaz wanted business owners and the “public in general” to be aware everyone can help make the city better.

“We are doing this to make Ottumwa better,” he said. “We are doing our best to learn choices and responsibilities. That’s the main idea of this program — to find and learn new skills and to do good things.”

Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.