Results of the Town Hall meeting focused on Graffiti October 26th
A Town Hall Meeting was held on Wednesday, October 26th to update the community on actions being taken to counter the recent acts of graffiti vandalism within Solterra and to seek community input on further actions that should be considered. Below is a recap of on the information provided at the event:
Graffiti is a growing problem in Lakewood and should be immediately reported to the Lakewood Police. If you see a vandalism in progress, immediately call 911 to report the incident. If the crime has already been committed, it should be reported by either contacting the police’s non-emergency number at 303-980-7300 or report it online using the following link: https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Police/PD-services-permits-registrations/Submit-a-Non-Emergency-Police-Report
Our Community Managers, Mat Birkeness and Phil Schneider, are also available to offer assistance or information at the Retreat Monday through Friday from 10-4. They can also be reached at [email protected] if you have pictures of new vandalism or a description of the potential vandal. Responsibility for clean-up of graffiti involves multiple activities which include:
Removal of the graffiti on buildings, walls, and landscape material is a priority, and our contractor Wash on Wheels will expeditiously remove the graffiti from our buildings. We ask that you let these professionals handle the work and not seek to assist them with home remedies. Currently they have been able to handle our requests and minimize damage to our facilities.
The Lakewood Police and city officials are aware of the damage we have experienced and have been provided with pictures of the vandal’s graffiti tags. The police have also agreed to provide additional patrols on weekend nights and are seeking to determine if there are any gang affiliations or similar vandalism in neighboring communities.
We also encourage the initiation of the Neighborhood Watch Program. This requires coordination and dedication by residents, but it is a proven program in confronting crime. The following link provided by the Lakewood Police, addresses how to get the program started: https://www.lakewood.org/files/assets/public/police/pdfs/lakewood-pd-neighborhood-watch-packet-2022.pdf
Lastly, we feel further dissemination of this information is key and encourage residents to share this information on the social media sites they use (i.e. Solterra Residents Facebook, Empty Nesters Facebook. Next Door, Ring, etc.) to communicate with each other. This document will be emailed out using Solterra Connect to reach subscribing residents. If you are not receiving community notifications, please email
[email protected] to add your contact information to email blasts.
Graffiti is a growing problem in Lakewood and should be immediately reported to the Lakewood Police. If you see a vandalism in progress, immediately call 911 to report the incident. If the crime has already been committed, it should be reported by either contacting the police’s non-emergency number at 303-980-7300 or report it online using the following link: https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Police/PD-services-permits-registrations/Submit-a-Non-Emergency-Police-Report
Our Community Managers, Mat Birkeness and Phil Schneider, are also available to offer assistance or information at the Retreat Monday through Friday from 10-4. They can also be reached at [email protected] if you have pictures of new vandalism or a description of the potential vandal. Responsibility for clean-up of graffiti involves multiple activities which include:
- Fossil Ridge Metro District - the Retreat and pool building, gate house, south arch, retaining walls throughout the community, playgrounds, certain sidewalks, signs, and accepted filings.
- Brookfield - the tunnel running under Alameda to the Green Mountain Hiking Trail, marketing signs throughout community, unaccepted filing landscaping, and retention ponds in the tributary.
- The City of Lakewood - the tunnels running under Indiana, Yale and McIntyre, as well as street signs, pavement, and certain sidewalks.
- Xcel Energy - utility boxes.
- TBD: Water Tower off McIntyre
Removal of the graffiti on buildings, walls, and landscape material is a priority, and our contractor Wash on Wheels will expeditiously remove the graffiti from our buildings. We ask that you let these professionals handle the work and not seek to assist them with home remedies. Currently they have been able to handle our requests and minimize damage to our facilities.
The Lakewood Police and city officials are aware of the damage we have experienced and have been provided with pictures of the vandal’s graffiti tags. The police have also agreed to provide additional patrols on weekend nights and are seeking to determine if there are any gang affiliations or similar vandalism in neighboring communities.
We also encourage the initiation of the Neighborhood Watch Program. This requires coordination and dedication by residents, but it is a proven program in confronting crime. The following link provided by the Lakewood Police, addresses how to get the program started: https://www.lakewood.org/files/assets/public/police/pdfs/lakewood-pd-neighborhood-watch-packet-2022.pdf
Lastly, we feel further dissemination of this information is key and encourage residents to share this information on the social media sites they use (i.e. Solterra Residents Facebook, Empty Nesters Facebook. Next Door, Ring, etc.) to communicate with each other. This document will be emailed out using Solterra Connect to reach subscribing residents. If you are not receiving community notifications, please email
[email protected] to add your contact information to email blasts.