Graffiti vandals strike Wilson School building BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - A maintenance worker arriving at the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School Friday morning found the building defaced with more than 20 different graffiti markings. The vandalism came a week after similar markings were found at a business three blocks away from the Dane Street school. Various locations at the Wilson School were painted with graffiti, including the doors, roof and the ground. "BFD" was written twice on the rear door of the school. The letters were also found on the westerly door alongside graffiti that read "EAZE." The letters "BFD" and "ONE" were written in four other nearby locations, according to the police report. All of the markings were made with red spray paint. On the ground, "BFD" and what appeared to police officers as the word "WASP" were written in blue spray paint. On the roof, the suspects sprayed an HVAC unit with "BFD" in white paint. Several other markings were written in red in various locations on the roof, including the words "bloodz," "DEW" and "125th." Police had no witnesses or suspects in the incident, which is being investigated by the juvenile bureau of the Sayreville Police Department. On Aug. 31, similar graffiti was found at the rear of the Furniture Interiors Inc. building at 95 Main St., three blocks from the Wilson School. Graffiti was found on the box enclosure, and the driver-side door and cargo door of a delivery truck. Police reported that the graffiti in both instances was consistent with markings found recently at Maliszewski Funeral Home, also on Main Street. Graffiti has been a concern in Sayreville, and many residents have voiced frustration with the prevalence of vandalism at various locations, including the Garden State Parkway overpass on Washington Road, the Sayreville Senior Center on Main Street, trains along Bordentown Avenue, and the bridges and overpasses on Routes 9 and 35. Graffiti has also been a problem in the area of borough hall and occasionally on residential properties. Borough Councilman Stanley Drwal has said at several meetings that graffiti is a growing concern for him. He told Greater Media Newspapers that the municipality is in the process of purchasing Farrow System equipment, which is designed to clean up graffiti. "We had to go though the bidding process," Drwal said. "It is something that we have been aware of. I brought it up last year." Drwal said he has been researching a coordinated effort to clean up the town. The new strategy, which will have graffiti erased within 24 hours of being reported, will involve more repercussions for the perpetrators, he said, noting that this plan will be initiated as soon as the Farrow System is purchased. Drwal said that the borough will seek restitution from those who are convicted. "We are coordinating with the police and prosecutors to launch a campaign to clean it up quickly and through different police work … fight it as a multipronged approach," he said. "It is almost like fighting a war." The borough is holding out so that it can launch the campaign in the most effective manner possible, Drwal said, adding that officials are looking at methods used in other communities that managed to reduce graffiti occurrences. The Farrow System equipment, developed in Europe, uses water and a nontoxic compound called Green Clean, according to Drwal. The product can be used to remove graffiti on a variety of surfaces and to erase road markings, according to the Farrow System Web site. The borough will use grant money to pay half the cost of the equipment, Drwal said. "We are going to work with the school board when we get this machine," Drwal said. Graffiti was brought up at a Board of Education meeting in January after police arrested three 13-year-old Sayreville residents on criminal mischief charges. The boys were accused of spray-painting several properties in the area of Green Valley Way near the intersection of Main Street and Washington Road on Dec. 17. Board of Education President Michael Macagnone said at the time that the school district will not tolerate vandalism. School resource officers (SROs), police officers who work in the schools, talk to children about the risks involved with such activity, Macagnone added. SROs are notified of any graffiti found on school property, and determine whether the marking is related to a gang, he said. Macagnone told Greater Media Newspapers that he plans to meet with Superintendent of Schools Frank Alfano on Friday to assess the damage, which he did not think would amount to much in costs for the district. "It's rare in Sayreville, but we have those individuals that just don't get it, and when we find out who they are, they will get it," Macagnone said. "That is unfortunate that people want to destroy property."