Citizens asked to get a GRIP

Scott Van Winkle

Wednesday, May 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Local officials are asking neighborhood groups to take graffiti cleanup to a new level starting Saturday.

The GRIP program, named by a local youth, aims to put "Graffiti Removal in Progress" by teaching concerned citizens how to target taggers and clean up graffiti responsibly, organizers said.

"It's just providing them with tools so they can take care of their own neighborhoods," said Metro Officer Rich Vorce, who is one of two Metro officers assigned to fighting graffiti full time.

Residents who sit through four hours of training Saturday will qualify for free paint and equipment and get meal coupons for Arby's sandwiches.

Vorce said he wants to get more citizens going out and looking for those spraying street monikers or tags on other people's property, identifying specifically who's using what names in which places.

That will aid in police investigations to punish the vandals, leading to arrests, convictions and payments of restitution, he said.

"Any type of award they get will go back into the community, and that builds community pride," he said.

Metro Police, the Clark County Public Response Office, Frazee Paints and the Lowden Community Resource Center will provide free paint and brushes to groups certified in graffiti cleanup, organizers said.

The certification program will be held at the building planned to house the new Lowden Center, at Maryland Parkway and Twain Avenue, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.

At 11 a.m., a ceremony will unveil GRIP's logo and reward the winners of an art contest, whose work will be used in the logo design.

Close to 100 middle school and high school students participated in the contest, Vorce said. Two first-place winners will be given a $100 prize.

Training will also cover how to organize a graffiti cleanup and use an airless paint sprayer, said Leslie Mihalko of the county's Parks and Recreation Department.

To register for the event, call 455-7386 by Friday.