On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the Wichita City Council is expected to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Westar Energy that will authorize an anti-graffiti campaign targeting a number of large galvanized steel light poles in north-central Wichita.

Graffiti by gang members and other vandals has been a chronic problem in the area, according to Wichita Police Officer Ernest Sharp at the Patrol North substation. Previous studies and local experience have demonstrated that graffiti vandals often stay away from local art works, Sharp said. Further evidence was provided by a pilot project last year at Schell Park near 25th and Arkansas. Students from nearby Pleasant Valley Middle School provided the artwork, and the light pole has remained graffiti-free.

The MOU on the Tuesday agenda of the Wichita City Council will authorize the program throughout the city. However, 80 percent of city’s graffiti problem occurs in the 6th City Council District covering north-central Wichita.

Once the MOU is approved by the City Council, Officer Sharp and 6th District Neighborhood Assistant Terri Dozal will seek out local artists to paint the selected light poles. The proposed artistic content will be reviewed and approved by the Wichita Art Design Council.

Dozal, who works from the Evergreen Neighborhood City Hall, 2700 N. Woodland, has unofficially titled the project as “Goodbye, Graffiti: Hello, Art”.

“This neighborhood has been filled with Graffiti for along time and I wanted to see a change,” Dozal said. “After driving thru the district, I noticed how the electrical poles were covered with graffiti. I thought to myself, if they can be painted with garbage, we can paint them with something positive.”

The first light pole to be targeted after Tuesday is located at 19th and Waco. The pole has been repeatedly vandalized, drawing numerous complaints from neighbors. The pole will be painted in a religious theme.

Sharon Fearey, 6th District Council Member, strongly supports the initiative and expects positive outcomes.

“This project is a great opportunity for local neighborhoods to find solutions to local problems,” Council Member Fearey said. “The absence of graffiti, combined with the presence of creative local art work, will build community pride and improve the quality of life for the entire neighborhood.”

The project also is an example of how the City’s Community Policing Program seeks out creative solutions to longstanding problems, Fearey said.

The project will not require any public funds, but private donations of paint supplies for financial assistance are welcome, Officer Sharp said. More information is available by contacting Officer Sharp at Patrol North, 688-9500, or Neighborhood Assistant Dozal at the Evergreen Neighborhood City Hall, 303-8042.

The MOU is on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting, which convenes at 9 a.m. in the First Floor City Council Chamber at City Hall, 455 N. Main. MOU stipulations include:

• Only galvanized steel poles can be used
• Art work cannot extend more than seven feet above ground level
• Art work must be approved by the Design Council
• Art work cannot include commercial advertising and must reflect a community-based theme

The Art and Design Review Board (Design Council) was formed by ordinance to advise the City Council on matters of aesthetic excellence of Wichita’s built environment. The Design Council consists of 15 design professionals from five separate disciplines, including architects, landscape architects, engineers, artists (including one graphic design member) and citizens-at-large.

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