VICTORIA, BC, May 15 Contech-Motion-Activa
VICTORIA, BC, May 15 /PRNewswire/ - Scott Railsback is not a
vigilante by nature. But the pragmatic vice president of Mure Corporation, a
property development and management firm in Whittier, CA (12 miles east of Los
Angeles), admits that after spending countless hours and thousands of dollars
removing graffiti from the buildings managed by his company, he was at the end
of his rope; that was until he decided to take the matter into his own hands.
"My father, brother and I were discussing non-injurious ways to deter
taggers and we figured that getting wet at 3 a.m. in the cold would not be a
pleasant experience," Railsback said. He added that cameras, lights, and
anti-graffiti paint were ineffective and his company was spending $100 to $200
to clean up after each incidence.
With his brother and father, Railsback developed a unique graffiti
deterrent using the ScareCrow motion-activated sprinkler by Contech
Electronics. Since implementing the system nine months ago, his company's
buildings - which were previously vandalized at least twice a week - have only
been hit three times.
Railsback installed the first system in August 2007. He said the building
was tagged the second night after the installation but the vandal did not get
the job done.
"It was a partial tag - only a few letters," Railsback said. "The ground
was wet from the system being triggered. We laughed long and hard thinking
about the tagger getting soaked without knowing where it came from." Railsback
added that he plans to install ScareCrows at all his company's graffiti
problem areas.
Railsback mounted the ScareCrows - which have been used by gardeners as an
animal deterrent for 12 years - 15 feet high on the buildings, spaced
approximately 20 feet apart. He plumbed them into the internal water supply
for each building and pointed them straight down.
"We had hoped that the sprinklers would slow taggers down," Railsback
said. "The results were nothing short of amazing. I have shared our story with
leasing and rental associations in our area, other property managers, and our
local police department."
"It is certainly one of the most unique applications we've heard for the
ScareCrow," said Mark Grambart, CEO for Victoria, BC-based, Contech
Electronics. "It has been used successfully by gardeners to repel deer, by
boaters to keep sea lions off boats, and by homeowners to keep herons out of
koi ponds, but an anti-graffiti device could have very positive implications
for property owners and anti-graffiti programs."
Established in 1987, Contech Electronics is a designer and provider of
advanced animal training, control and wellness products for pet owners and
gardeners around the world. Safe and effective solutions such as the ScareCrow
(R) motion-activated sprinkler and the WaterDog(R) automatic outdoor pet
drinking fountain continue to reinforce the company's reputation as a leading
innovator in the pet and garden industries. For more information visit:
www.contech-inc.com.
CONTACT: Tracey Robertson, Media Relations, Contech Electronics, (250)
652-0755, ext 124, (800) 767-8658, tracey.robertson@contech-inc.com
SOURCE Contech Electronics Inc.
