Graffiti on rock formation in park will cost thousands to clean, Arizona city says
An Arizona city says it will likely cost thousands to remove a large symbol graffitied on a rock formation in a municipal park.
Park rangers on Aug. 16 found a butte had been vandalized in Papago Park Preserve in Tempe, Savannah Harrelson-Driskill, the city’s public information officer, said in an Aug. 27 email to McClatchy News.
The rangers called the Tempe Police Department about the graffiti, Harrelson-Driskill said, adding that officers took a report.
A photo shared by the city shows a large white asterisk in a circle with a blue background painted on the rock formation.
“Due to the graffiti’s size, the city is in the process of hiring a contractor to remove the paint over the next week,” Harrelson-Driskill said.
Though the city doesn’t have a final estimate for the cost of removal, Harrelson-Driskill said it will likely be “in the thousands (of dollars), rather than the hundreds.”
“Vandalism at Papago Park Preserve can often be more costly to remove, as the park is home to several archeological sites and is a protected preserve,” Harrelson-Driskill said.
The damaged site is not an archeological one, but the graffiti is “on a rock formation in a protected preserve that is considered a sacred area to our local tribal community,” Harrelson-Driskill said.
“The city condemns vandalism, especially in protected areas like the preserve,” Harrelson-Driskill said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 480-350-4311.
Tempe is about a 10-mile drive east from Phoenix.
