Graffiti removal has been a priority every year that Councilman Eric Ulrich has been in office, but this year he has added more funds than ever to combat the problem in his district.
Ulrich announced on Monday that he added $10,000 to his graffiti removal effort; he previously allocated $25,000 to the program back in August via his expense funding for fiscal year 2015.
The funding will go to the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), primarily its Neighborhood Development Division, which promotes economic growth by supporting community businesses. They have been working with Magic Touch Cleaning to carry out the anti-vandalism mandate.
“Graffiti is not art, it’s an eyesore that impacts property values and adversely affects our quality of life,” said Ulrich. “This allocation will strengthen efforts to remove graffiti from our neighborhoods and revitalize local small businesses corridors.”
The initiative will continue to target graffiti at six major corridors — Woodhaven Boulevard, Jamaica Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, 101st Avenue, Liberty Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard. In these areas, graffiti can be seen up and down the corridor on garages, fences and businesses, among other places.
To date, Magic Touch Cleaning has removed graffiti from roughly 100 area locations.
“Graffiti is a scourge that gives a retail area the appearance of disorder in a way that discourages shoppers while encouraging the bad element,” said QEDC Deputy Director Ricardi Calixte. “We are extremely happy to work with Council member Ulrich and Magic Touch to eliminate graffiti in commercial corridors throughout Queens.”
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