Town officials and local business owners have been looking for an efficient way to remove graffiti ever since a youth went on a graffiti spree back in April.
They think they may have found one option.
Leon Durand of the Uptowne Olds committee and owner of Rip’s Audio Video found a device online called the Torando ACS (advanced cleaning systems).
Its proponents say it can remove graffiti using a combination of controlled sandblasting and vacuuming and doesn’t use any chemicals. Instead, the device uses a variety of granulates directed against the unwanted paint jobs at high speed.
A vacuum wand that is shielded by metal and glass allows the user to direct the granulates they want to the target. Although it does remove the graffiti that was there, there is a slight outline of where it was.
Town and Uptowne officials are considering whether they should obtain one.
But the price tag is hefty: about $20,000.
“I actually told the town about it, and they went ahead and arranged to have the demo,” Durand said. “I saw it online, this device, and I thought 'well, that’s probably what we need right now.'”
The demo was done outside of one of the Uptowne buildings that still had the graffiti on it.
“The purpose (of the demo) is to investigate ways that the business community and the town can work together to find solutions to the unfortunate vandalism in the community,” said Doug Wagstaff, the town's community services director.
During the demo, various people such as Wagstaff used the device and noted its effectiveness.
“I think everyone today is looking at the fact that this was a site we had difficulty getting cleaned and this is the best so far out of any attempts and it has real promise to look at further,” Wagstaff said.
This is something Durand sees as a simple fix too.
“It’s pretty much what I thought it would be. I think with a little more time blasting each square the actual lines will just pretty much disappear,” Durand said.
