PORTLAND, Maine - Building on the idea that a graffiti-free Portland will be more appealing to potential tenants and property owners, the real estate firm of CBRE/The Boulos Company has made a $45,000 donation to Portland-based Graffti Busters.
The program involves young people in the juvenile justice system in graffiti mitigation. The program is administered by LearningWorks, with support from the city of Portland.
Executive Director Ethan Strimling says the grant will allow the program to buy and staff another truck, "so that we really get out there and get ahead of the graffiti in this town, hopefully, so that we finally start to get ahead of it."
Drew Sigfridson, managing director of CBRE/ The Boulos Company, says data shows that removing graffiti within 24 to 48 hours results in a nearly zero rate of recurrence.