ERASER: Former GW coach to head graffiti task force

Charleston officials still call him “Coach,” but the city has given Steve Edwards a new title: director of the graffiti task force.

Edwards, former football coach for George Washington High School, will buy the chemicals, work with property owners and get volunteers to graffiti sites, said Kristi Knott, a special projects coordinator in the mayor’s office. “If the volunteers can’t get to the graffiti, he is going to go out there and do it himself,” Knott said.

Edwards’ position will fall under the Parks and Recreation Department, Mayor Danny Jones said Thursday. The department had an empty assistant director position, and the city decided to turn it into a program director spot for Edwards, said David Molgaard, city manager.

Parks and Recreation Director John Charnock said Edwards already works part time as a recreation aide. Jones approached Edwards about taking the $32,000-a-year job. “He’s a good man. He was the football coach when I was at GW,” Jones said.

Knott said about 30 volunteers have signed up for the task force, a lower turnout than the city expected. Employees in the Parks and Recreation and Street departments and the Parking System will staff the graffiti team, Knott said.

“We’re going to get some city sites cleaned up before Regatta,” Knott said. “The bathrooms at Magic Island and Haddad [Riverfront Park] are bad. The street department is in charge of Bridge Road, which recently got hit.”

After graffiti sites are cleaned up, Knott said, the task force will apply a graffiti defender, a chemical that prevents the paint from drying. “You can just wipe it off with a paper towel,” Knott said.

The city has bought a few supplies with money from the police department’s forfeiture fund, Knott said. They haven’t found many grants to buy the task force’s supplies, Knott said. The city will also use some extra money in the city manager’s office to hire a part-time employee to man the graffiti hot line, Knott said.

Knott said Charleston will shorten its timeframe for graffiti removal to help the program. City code now says property owners have 30 days to remove graffiti. The task force would like to see it at 24 to 48 hours. Removing graffiti quickly, Knott said, discourages the artists by taking away their “bragging rights.”

Edwards will visit Capitol Street on Monday to get property owners’ written consent for graffiti removal, Knott said, and then start taking down the tags.

Edwards will also attend a graffiti-removal training session Saturday on the corner of Elizabeth and Washington streets. The graffiti task force will meet with a consultant from Main Street West Virginia, a historic preservation group. The team will learn about chemicals and techniques used in graffiti removal, and try to clean graffiti from a red brick building, said Mike Gioulis, Main Street West Virginia consultant.

To contact staff writer Mandy Rorrer, use e-mail or call 348-5163.