Baseline graffiti to be cleaned up
The City of Solvang is moving forward with cleaning up the
graffiti that has plagued Baseline Avenue in Santa Ynez since February.
The phrases “Let Levi Ride.com,” “Allez Vous,” and “Go Mario Go,”
with hearts is spray-painted in pink, white, and blue, on both sides of
Baseline Avenue.
The graffiti covers at least 20-feet of roadway.
Because of the timing of the appearance as well as the
messages painted on the street, the vandalism is thought to be associated with
the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, which came to the valley in February.
Matt Dobberteen, Alternative
Transportation manager for Santa Barbara County, said that though the county
offered its help, Solvang’s City Manager agreed to cleanup
the spray paint.
“The county has accepted the City of Solvang’s offer to
conduct maintenance on Baseline Avenue and the removal of the graffiti,” Dobberteen said. “We appreciate Solvang’s assistance with
this matter.”
Tully Clifford, public works director of the City of
Solvang, said that it will be spraying and placing a fog seal on the road.
Cost to the city is expected to be a “couple hundred
dollars,” he said.
In an e-mail, Carol Petersen, co chair for the Amgen Tour
of California, said that the ATOC would be willing to share the cost of
removing the graffiti from the road.
She also said that she’s received many responses to the
graffiti, some of which, she said, showed that people were happy to see the
paint on the road.
Laura Kath, spokesperson for ATOC, said that the
organization is actively working with the City of Solvang and Santa Barbara
County to take off the slogans on Baseline Avenue.
“A gentleman called asking us to not do anything; he love
the reminders of such a great day,” she said in an e-mail.
Clifford said that the spray paint
would be removed within a few weeks.