Boro hopes new system will wipe out graffiti Vandals up against new cleaning device, aggressive police work BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer PHOTOS BY MICHAEL ACKER From top to bottom: An off-ramp across the street from the Economy Auto Body Shop in Sayreville bears the mark of a graffiti artist who writes a variety of slogans in all caps throughout the area that begin with the word "because." A billboard adjacent to the Economy Auto Body Shop in Sayreville bears graffiti. Vandals marked Amboy Cinemas off Routes 9 and 35 with numerous works of graffiti. The abandoned property is located near a business owner whose property was also vandalized recently. SAYREVILLE - If anyone is fed up with the frequent acts of graffiti in town, it's Steve Vrabel Jr. The owner of EconomyAuto Body Shop, located on Victory Bridge Circle in the area of Route 35, has found numerous spraypaint markings on his property, most recently when he arrived for work at 8:37 a.m. Jan. 3. Vrabel found graffiti on a fence, an office window and on the glass around the front-door entrance. The vandals had also spray-painted adjacent billboards and offramps, which have yet to be cleaned up. "We got hit last year; we got hit the year before," Vrabel said. "The place is starting to look like Newark and Jersey City, and it seems they can never find these guys." "They are defacing private property," he added. "Someone has to see some of these people. If you see somebody, call the Sayreville Police Department. What some of these guys do, it must take some time. Some of this stuff is really intricate." The borough is awaiting the arrival of a Farrow Systemgraffiti-removing device for $46,000, purchased with help froma Clean Communities grant after residents complained of an increase in graffiti last year. "I'mlooking forward to the arrival of the machine and the implementation of the anti-graffiti program as soon as possible," Borough Councilman Stanley Drwal said. "As long as graffiti exists, it's a sign that they are in charge. Once we get rid of it and start making arrests, we'll show that the law-abiding residents of Sayreville are actually in charge." The device cannot be used when temperatures are under 40 degrees, however, since it uses a water-based compound, Drwal said. He said the borough is looking into methods of reimbursement for when the borough uses the device to clean up locations such as Garden State Parkway overpass bridges, as well as county and state properties. Also, officials are discussing the possibility of renting the machine out to other municipalities to recoup some of its costs, according to Borough Councilman Dennis Grobelny. "We've been talking to another town," Grobelny said. "This hasn't been finalized yet, but we are working on it." The device was used to remove graffiti from a Bordentown Avenue bridge during a demonstration last year, and Grobelny said the cleaned surface has remained unmarked since then. "We certainly want to clean up any graffiti in town, and we will do whatever we have to do to get it done," Grobelny said. "If we do remove the graffiti, it will discourage the artists, and some of them are artists. They should channel their energies in some other way than marking buildings." Police Chief Edward Szkodny said his department aggressively investigates incidents of graffiti, due to its impact on quality of life. He noted that despite recent vandalism-related arrests, it remains difficult to prevent youth and adult vandals from marking property. "We have been trying to stay on top of the graffiti in the borough," Szkodny said. "Needless to say, it is extremely tough to catch graffiti artists in the act. They strike at a moment's notice and then they're gone." Police make most of their arrests through follow-up investigations and often after receiving information from a variety of confidential sources, Szkodny said. Juveniles are charged with juvenile delinquency, while adults are charged with criminalmischief. Both youth and adult offenders are given extensive fines to compensate victims for the damage, he added. The presence of graffiti in a given area often inspires others to come and further mark up the property, the chief said, adding that a program that quickly removes graffiti and enforces the law with a strict zero-tolerance policy can make a difference in the borough. "If that is not removed within a reasonable period of time, then another person will come along and spray, and then another person, and it becomes what's called a graffiti bulletin board," Szkodny said. "All of the studies show that graffiti should be removed as soon as possible to prevent that from occurring," he said. Vrabel noted that if he had not been able to get the graffiti off his property himself, it would have cost him hundreds of dollars to have a cleaning company remove it. "I took care of it," Vrabel said. "In two days, with lacquer and thinner, we did get it off… It cost me a lot of time, and the cleaning materials." "The highway walls look like hell," Vrabel added. "The people that do the job are the people who should go there and scrub it off."