But what about the citizens of Grand Terrace who are harrassed by these gang members? I am shocked that he doesn't put as much energy into protecting the citizens as he does trying to make the City of Grand Terrace look like it doesn't have any problems.
GT wants graffiti on bridge gone
City doesn't want tagging to tarnish
image as one of the top places to live
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Article
Launched: 08/09/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT
GRAND TERRACE - It comes in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Some consider it an art. Others call it an eyesore.
Officials here just want it gone.For a city that Money Magazine recently named one of the 100 best places to live in America, the thought of graffiti anywhere is almost too much to bear.
But it's especially bothersome when the graffiti is scrawled across a major railroad bridge that serves as a gateway to the city.
Of all the markings, the words, "We Bomb," in large white letters are clearly the most visible to passing motorists on the 215 Freeway.
"It's an embarrassment when you are coming into Grand Terrace and you have to see it," Assistant City Manager Steve Berry said. "It's like a graffiti billboard on the face of our city."
The graffiti in question has covered the Union Pacific railroad bridge over the 215 for about eight months, Berry said. The railroad owns the bridge and is solely responsible for removing the graffiti. The bridge, known as the Taylor Street overcrossing, is just south of the Barton Road exit. It is reserved for train traffic.
Berry has flooded Union Pacific with e-mails urging the company to take action. But nothing has been done and the problem is getting worse. "It keeps accumulating and accumulating and accumulating," he said in frustration.
Nestled between two mountain ridges, the town of roughly 13,000 residents has managed to escape the big city ills that have plagued many of its neighbors. Its low crime, high-performing schools, clean streets and affordable housing were reasons it made Money Magazine's Top 100 list announced last month. Residents and city officials marked the occasion by sharing a large carrot cake at a City Council meeting.
While graffiti might not be such a big deal in some cities with larger worries, Grand Terrace doesn't want anything to harm its lofty reputation as a great place to live.
"As a Realtor, I know graffiti negatively affects home values and it seriously detracts from the city's image as a safe, quiet bedroom community," said Jeff McConnell, a Walnut Avenue resident. Union Pacific spokeswoman Lupe Valdez said she is working to address the city's concerns. Valdez said removing the graffiti isn't as simple as it might seem. "It's a little more complicated than just going out there and cleaning it because it is over an interstate,"
Valdez said. The California Department of Transportation has rules and regulations for doing work over a freeway, she said. "What I told the city is first I need to find out what is involved before we can determine what can and can't be done," Valdez said. Caltrans spokeswoman Ivy Estrada said the process to get a permit to remove graffiti is simple, straightforward and free of charge.
"They would file an application telling us what they propose to do and what the impact to traffic would be," Estrada said. "We would be concerned about motorists' safety and their workers' safety above the freeway."
The review and approval process typically takes just a few days, Estrada said. "We would certainly be willing to have a meeting with the railroad to expedite things," Estrada said. Berry said the BNSF Railway has a bridge over the freeway just south of the Union Pacific bridge. BNSF regularly removes graffiti that appears on its bridge, he said. "There is no excuse for Union Pacific not to take care of this immediately," Berry said.
