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SALT LAKE CITY — What was a negative event at Salt Lake City's Jean Massieu School for the blind earlier this week became a rallying cry for community members Wednesday.
Taggers covered the school's playground destructive and obscene graffiti Monday night. After hearing of the vandalism in local news reports, dozens of community volunteers arrived at the school Wednesday to lend a hand and graffiti-removing expertise.
Greg Fatzinger, a graffiti removal specialist for the Utah Department of Transportation, came with cleaning equipment in hand, ready to restore the playground's shine.
It just makes us feel good that we were able to come down here and clean it up as good as we could for the kids that are going to be here Monday.
–Greg Fatzinger, UDOT
"It just makes us feel good that we were able to come down here and clean it up as good as we could for the kids that are going to be here Monday," Fatzinger said.
Fatzinger said the graffiti, which likely took the taggers minutes to create, caused potentially hundreds of dollars of damage. School officials expected that portions of the playground would have to be replaced, but thanks to the efforts of Fatzinger and others who volunteered, nearly all traces of the graffiti were removed.
Local businessmen and residents stopped by throughout the day with cleaning chemicals and power washers to whittle away at stubborn paint spots.
"They need to have a decent playground to play on, and they don't deserve a new playground to be tagged up like it was," Fatzinger said.
Gabe Areano, the facilities coordinator for the school, said it was heartbreaking to learn the new equipment had been vandalized. He said school property had been targeted before, but he never expected something like this.
Thanks to the volunteers, things are back on track for Monday's unveiling. One or two panels may still have to be replaced, Areano said, but it's nothing compared to the scenario officials were preparing to face.
In addition to the cleanup efforts, individuals have come forward offering monetary donations.
"We were just flooded, we probably had more than a dozen volunteers," Areano said. "It just goes to show you, there are so many good people out there who are willing to come in, donate their time, devote all their work into making something positive from something negative."
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Written by Benjamin Wood with contributions from Sarah Dallof.
