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Show OPINION JUNE 2005 The West View Page 3 This opinion section is an open forum for community issues. Editorial columns and opinion articles are strictly the opinion of the author. Letters of an indecent or demeaning nature will not be published. Letters will be edited for style and space. To the Residents of Glendale: From the Editor Getting Graffiti “Off the Wall’ One of the most frustrating problems in west-side neighbor- | hoods is the constant struggle to remove graffiti off of walls, buildings, bridges, and other public and private property. It’s a problem that is only getting worse, according to officials from Salt Lake City Public Services and Law Enforcement. _ Fortunately, the increase in graffiti does not necessarily equate with an increase in gang activity. According to the Salt Lake City Gang Unit, gang activity on the West Side is down 32 percent from last year, when comparing incident numbers from the first four months and half (Jan.1 — May 15) of each year. The spike in graffiti in recent months is obvious to westsiders. Local parks, billboards and trails seem to be perpetually © covered in it. Some locals find it hard to accept the claim that gang activity has decreased. One explanation for this apparent discrepancy could be that there are two types of illegal graffiti: tagging (which is intended as art) and gang graffiti (which stakes out turf or sends We urge you to please attend a council meeting. Your participation will be welcomed and you can help yourself and your community. Did you know there is a place for you to go regarding problems in your community? It’s your community council. As a board member of the Glendale Community Council, I am asking people in our area to come to meetings to voice your concerns and find out what is going on in our community. We extend an open invitation to all. Of course, Throughout Salt Lake City, community councils we can’t force you to come, but strongly encourage you to get better informed about your community council and your community. We need you! Get involved! are trying to bring communities together. We are extremely concerned about bringing together all of the varied members of our communities. With such Vice Chairman diverse communities, we need all members to attend Glendale Community Council Jay Ingleby, meetings to make our neighborhoods better for all who live here. Community council board members and residents have been working for years, volunteering The Glendale Community Council meetings take place on the third Wednesday of every month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The June 15 meeting will be held at the Pioneer Police Precinct located at I 040 W. 700 S. their time and energy to make neighborhoods better. At times, they have been criticized for not getting diverse membership involved in their council. — The Monster of Rose Park Lane I can’t help notice the stretch of roadway that ushers visitors and residents into my community from the northwest. It’s called Rose Park Lane, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) messages to rival gangs). Tagging is usually characterized by bubbled letters, faces or objects, and may consist of more than one color. Most tagging is signed by the tagger with the hopes of getting recognition. Gang graffiti uses symbols, letters and numbers that identify particular gangs. These are usually painted in only one color. Sometimes you might see the name of a gang crossed out by a different color and replaced with the sign of a rival gang. One of the best things that an average citizen can do to help control the graffiti problem is to take steps to get graffiti removed immediately. This will help avoid gang conflicts in that area and will send a message that the community does not tolerate graffiti or any other illegal activity. You can report the presence of graffiti by calling Salt Lake City Public Services’ Graffiti Hot Line at 972-7885. This number can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Report the exact address and the surface on which the graffiti is painted, if possible. An employee from Salt Lake City’s “Off the Wall” program will be eispalened: to that area usually within 48 | hours. For a quicker response, another option is to sign up for the Adopt a Spot program. The City will provide paint and supplies to residents and businesses that agree to paint out the graffiti themselves. If you see graffiti in progress, you should call Police Dispatch at 799-3000. Ask for the Gang Unit. Many people feel overwhelmed by all the graffiti that fouls our neighborhood, but it will only add to the decline of our community if we become comfortable with it. Don’t wait for someone else to take care of that graffiti you saw at your local park or school; keep the graffiti hot line number handy and use it often. A series of in-depth articles on gangs and graffiti will begin in the July issue of The West View. Stay tuned... and as I drive it two or three times a week, I notice that it’s a hazard to public health and an eyesore. A canal parallels the lane and breeds large popula- installed, however, allowed Modern Bureaucracy. In spite of the Monster, the Westpointe Community Council has planned to clean up Rose Park Lane. Their first attempt happened on June11. Other clean up projects will be scheduled throughout the summer and fall. I plan on being there, and I hope everyone else in the community gets involved, especially those who live along the Lane. This byway needs more than clean up; a nice a walkway cover both, and no one from the city, county, or state has and beautification, and adequate lighting would be taken responsibility for it. The once lovely flood basin and walking path - absorbed like a lone starship sucked into submission by the Borg — seem to be warning signs of things to come. Justa few yards across the street on 1700 North the Monster seems to propagate as residents shield their view with vinyl fences. Along Redwood Road between Independence and 1700 nice starters. People need to take pride in where they live and our city, county, and state officials need to take pride in their constituents. North, only one resident seems to take the time to keep the Monster in check. It’s only a matter of time before the whole Westpointe Community is assimilated unless something is done soon. Homeowner neglect is partly to blame for the Monster’s propagation; however, bureaucracy end-of-the-season specials at Louise Gardens 1550 West 800 South 973-8414 Cub Scout Pack 3543 Fund Raiser: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. of Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus. Get ready for It Came From Rose Park Lane: or the of weeds and a catch basin of compost to replace PLANT SALE! Saturday, June 25 residents are not able or willing to determine who has liability for this piece of scenic byway. Apparently, the road lies between incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county and city. You’ve heard tions of mosquitoes. Its murky depths have pulled in small children and bad drivers. Some say a Monster lives in the depths of the canal, although I’ve never seen it. Others say the real Monster is — the bureaucracy of city, county, and state entities that pass the buck on this patch of pavement. When Ivory Homes rolled in they did a nice clean up on the east side of the Lane, although the expected walkway around the development ended up being a more cost-effective piece of tarmac. A beautiful flood basin lined with grass was also - Charlotte Fife-Jepperson, Annuals $6.00 per flat ~Amazing Selection! seems to be the creator. The city, county, and the for the canal, some serious urban renewal Scott Forman, Westpointe . For more information on future Rose Park Lane clean ups, contact the Westpointe Community Council: Chair, Ken Fultz — 359-0480 Vice, John McConkie — 323-9540 Vice, Marcus Anjewierden — 359-6103 — _ Secretary, Scott Forman — 532-5969 Volunteers Wanted for Tree-Planting As chairman of the Environmental Committee of the Poplar Grove Community Council, I am looking for a few good men and women to plan and execute a treeplanting project for next fall. The location will be on an undeveloped strip of land east of the Native Plant Garden on 900 South between 700 and ~ 800 West. We plan to get young seedlings donated from a variety of sources for this become educated on how to care for these seedlings until they are well established, so members of this tree planting committee. will be asked to participate in a treecare workshop facilitated by Tree Utah. If.you are interested in getting involved in this project, please call me at 3223028. Leon Johnson, Poplar Grove project. Tree Utah has suggested that we THE WEST VIEW July 2005 Issue Submission Deadline: Tuesday, June 27 We welcome your stories, photos, and opinions. Please notify us if you know of something in the community that deserves coverage. Email us at editor@thewestview.org or call (801)355-9572 |