Vandals’ graffiti covered by Five Hills royalty

Special to Leader-Press 

There is a resurgence of graffiti popping up in Copperas Cove and across the nation as a residual effect of the Coronavirus. Due to leisure businesses such as movie theaters closed and school not in session, people have more free time than usual and areas are being vandalized with spray paint. 

The Miss Five Hills Scholarship Program titleholders and their families traded their tiaras for paint rollers on Saturday in partnership with Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful to cover the graffiti-ridden ravines at the intersections of Risen Star Lane and Creek Street and also Robertson and Creek. 

Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Hayley Sawyer was very excited about the graffiti project.  

“I love the city of Copperas Cove and want to keep it as beautiful as possible,” the nine-year old said. “I hope when other members of our community see how much we all care that they too will also want to keep it that way.”

Preteen Miss Five Hills Romella Spitzer is also working toward her scouting badge, Leave No Trace, which focuses on keeping areas clean and undisturbed. In addition to painting, Spitzer and her twin brother, Noah, also lugged a trash bag from location to location collecting recyclable garbage. 

“Keeping Cove beautiful is everyone’s responsibility because we all live here and if no one helps keep clean, it would be nasty and who wants to live a nasty place,” Spitzer said.

Junior Miss Five Hills Kadence Coombs smiled as her paint-filled brush covered the damaged walls.

“We were the perfect height to get under the bridge and paint and clean up some trash,” Coombs said.

The graffiti project is one of many the royalty have undertaken with KCCB, said director Roxanne Flores-Achmad.

“The royalty are exceptional volunteers who are always providing service and making a difference in the community,” Flores-Achmad said. “It was a great day of service, beautification and growing our community partnership with the royalty.”

Senior Ms. Five Hills Dawn Hale also serves on the Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Commission Board of Directors.  

“I was most excited with the amount of young children in our group. They jumped right in and attacked the task with excitement,” Hale said. “Even though I think there was more paint on them, the graffiti project reinforced the opportunity to help their community and make a difference.”

Jordan Hendrix, Jr. had gray paint on his arms, legs and even his face as he slathered paint onto the concrete walls.

“I don’t want people to see bad words on the wall,” he said. 

The Copperas Cove Public Works Department tracks graffiti in the ravines and will utilize Saturday’s effort to cover the defacement to collect data on the frequency of vandalism in the area.