Public Works Maintenance

Graffiti Cleanup Efforts Keep Parks Clean

Graffiti artists will work with a variety of materials—paint, markers, even lipstick!—and on a variety of surfaces—concrete, metal, natural rock. Knowing the combination of surface and medium helps the crew know how to remove the marks.

Using specialized chemicals and tools, plus hard work, they take on the never-ending job of keeping public spaces looking great. Once graffiti is removed, the resulting surface can be almost as jarring as the original marks. The team looks at the space around their work and uses grout, paint and other materials to try and blend the newly cleaned surface with the weathered area around it.

Graffiti is often in prominent places like the Riverwalk and Lovers Leap and sometimes contains messages and imagery that can ruin a nice day at the park. The team takes care of anything that gets reported and has several high-frequency spots that they watch. And where there’s one tag, there are often a few more! They take the time to clean up a whole area, and sometimes take multiple trips to strip, clean and beautify a spot.

The Maintenance division manages the upkeep of public green spaces, including parks, medians and right-of-way areas. They also take care of playground maintenance and repair, sports fields and landscaping at City facilities.

The crews can often be seen mowing, tending to trees, setting up events and maintaining park structures. We are proud of our parks and the people who keep them looking great.