Graffiti removed at Gospel Hill area in Altoona
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a retaining wall along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a light pole along the steps from 13th Avenue to Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a a guard rail along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a a guard rail along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Sidewalks, walls, steps and a light pole in the Gospel Hill area were tagged with graffiti last week. Courtesy photo
Sidewalks, walls, steps and a light pole in the Gospel Hill area were tagged with graffiti last week. Courtesy photo
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a retaining wall along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a light pole along the steps from 13th Avenue to Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a a guard rail along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Steve Smith, owner of Smith Sandblasting, Woodbury, removes graffiti from a a guard rail along 13th Avenue Alley on Gospel Hill on Monday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Sidewalks, walls, steps and a light pole in the Gospel Hill area were tagged with graffiti last week. Courtesy photo
Sidewalks, walls, steps and a light pole in the Gospel Hill area were tagged with graffiti last week. Courtesy photo
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A city subcontractor on Monday used a sandblaster to remove graffiti from sidewalks, walls, steps and a light pole in the Gospel Hill area.
"They were tagged last week," said City Manager Christopher McGuire. "It was pretty bad."
The city has not had "a graffiti infestation" over the last couple of years, and officials hope the new vandalism on Gospel Hill isn't the start of a trend, said Public Works Director Nate Kissell.
The graffiti was reported to the Department of Codes and Inspections on Sept. 17, and Codes passed on the message about it to Public Works, McGuire said.
The subcontractor charged the city about $1,000, Kissell said.
It's better to get the graffiti off quickly, so it doesn't have a chance to embed in soft material like stone, Kissell said.
Quick graffiti removal is also important so its presence doesn't encourage more graffiti, according to online sources -- many of which are purveyors of janitorial products or services.
The Gospel Hill tagging was reported to city police, but nothing has come of that yet, Kissell said.
It's likely the perpetrator or perpetrators will never be caught, he said.
The graffiti was "disappointing" to see, Kissell said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.