For the parishioners trying to blast spray-painted swastikas off their Perry Hall church?s walls Monday, muratic acid and a high-pressure power washer wasn?t doing the trick.
“As a church family, we had people with different levels of knowledge volunteer, but as of this morning, they weren?t really able to get it off,” the Rev. Chris Skinner said.
Finding someone who can clean the paint comes with a $500 price tag, Skinner said, and he?s worried a professional blaster could damage the church?s brick walls.
The graffiti at the Perry Hall Baptist Church this weekend is the latest in a rash of vandalism including broken windows and a defaced church. It is believed to be the handiwork of neighborhood kids, Skinner said.
But graffiti is one crime Baltimore County officials hope to erase completely with the recent purchase of a $45,000 solution called the Farrow System, touted Monday as the world?s fastest and most environmentally friendly graffiti remover. Baltimore County?s Farrow system is the only one in the state.
The system?s inventor, Nigel Farrow, joined County Executive Jim Smith in a demonstration Monday to clean the county?s courthouse steps,which were defaced more than a year ago. Together, gripping a hose that spews water and volcanic ash, Smith and Farrow removed the graffiti within seconds.
Smith said the system will complement the county?s graffiti eradication team, a recreation and parks division organized one year ago. The county established a 24-hour hot line for residents to report graffiti, and Smith said the team can respond with the new system even in the middle of the night.
“It?s a real downer,” Smith said.
“It makes a difference when things are all marked up when they should be beautiful and should be assets to the community.”
