BREMERTON — Kitsap County Parks Department fairgrounds maintenance staff was dismayed the morning of March 5 as they completed the routine activities of opening gates, removing garbage, and determining their tasks for the day.

More than 42 spray-painted tags were discovered covering 15 buildings. After contacting the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and taking photos of the vandalism, staff members immediately got to work removing the offensive graffiti and putting out an e-mail SOS to volunteers for assistance. Responses came in quickly.

Local 4H volunteers and staff offered support in the form of painters and donated paint for the barns. John Miller of Boomtown Productions brought a truck with a water tank and three employees to pressure-wash the affected areas. Lowe’s provided a deep discount for the additional paint needed to cover the destruction.

Statistics show that removing graffiti within 24 hours discourages vandals from striking again in the near future. So the pressure was on maintenance staff to get the graffiti removed immediately. The Kitsap County Fairgrounds & Events Center hosts more than 130 major events each year, and the busy season started in mid-February. With many other tasks to prepare for daily and upcoming events and sports use, staff members were concerned they wouldn’t have time to remove graffiti immediately without falling behind on their regular schedule or the assistance of volunteers.

Fairgrounds managers said the community effort took care of a good portion of the problem.

“Community volunteers are a vital part of the parks department’s day-to-day operations,” Kitsap County Commissioner Ed Wolfe said. “Nearly 2,000 volunteers are contributing over 50,000 hours throughout our county parks and fairgrounds all year round. We truly appreciate all they do to assist our staff in keeping parks clean and safe for everyone to enjoy.”

The parks department experiences a high rate of vandalism, according to the county. Officials ask residents to report any vandalism or other negative activity in the parks and community to the Sheriff’s Office immediately.

Parks Director Jim Dunwiddie and his staff are developing a security plan to deter graffiti and other criminal activity at high-use parks. According to the county, the costs of repairing equipment and facilities, purchasing materials, paying parks staff and closing sections of the parks while they are being repaired is costly for county taxpayers.