CHATSWORTH : Club Seeks Funds for Police Sandblaster

The Kiwanis Club of Chatsworth plans to lead a fund-raising effort to buy a new sandblaster for the Devonshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The sandblasters now used by the division to remove graffiti are “on the last legs,” said Kym Ernest, incoming treasurer of the Kiwanis Club. The club will meet Thursday to discuss ways to generate the estimated $3,000 needed to buy a new machine, she said.

Officer Jim Dellinger, Chatsworth-Porter Ranch Neighborhood Watch coordinator, said a team of about 40 volunteers from the community has been working since last year to remove graffiti in the area, but the effort has been hampered by lack of supplies.

City Councilman Hal Bernson donated the two sandblasters now used by the department, but Dellinger said the machines have become old and often break down.

“We are at a point where success is causing us a problem,” Dellinger said. “Now it’s clear we will burn out our equipment.”

The division has also run short of sand, having used up what was supposed to be a year’s supply in just four months, Dellinger said. Community donations have kept the program afloat, but Ernest said a large fund-raiser by an organized group such as the Kiwanis Club is needed if a new sandblaster is to be procured.

Dellinger said a new sandblaster would enable the division to lead graffiti cleanups on a daily basis.