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College Park City Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1) asked the city to explore options to help expedite the process of removing graffiti at the City Council meeting Tuesday.

Under current city code, a property owner has 14 days to remove graffiti at their own expense, before being issued a citation.

"My concern is we do need to do something about graffiti, particularity on commercial properties," he said. "There are situations where it remains on commercial properties for weeks, if not months."

City officials discussed the possibility of setting aside funds to offer graffiti removal for free or only charging businesses to remove it.

"I understand there are concerns about that because it's a service we're providing," Wojahn said. "We don't want to take away the incentive for business owners to do it on their own. It's less of a burden for the city to only do it for residential properties."

Wojahn said graffiti is more prevalent on commercial properties than residential.

Mayor Stephen Brayman suggested allotting $10,000 a year to pay for free graffiti removal and charging owners after that money is exhausted during the course of a year.

"If it's less than $10,000 to keep this city free of graffiti, then that's a service we should provide," Brayman said.

The city owns a power blaster, and public services director Bob Ryan said most of the cost of graffiti removal would come from employee man hours and purchasing paint if needed.

Ryan estimated that to provide free graffiti removal to both businesses and residential property owners, it would cost the city "several hundred dollars a month," but could not be more specific.

Also at the meeting, the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research organization based out of Georgetown, made its suggestions to the City Council on ways to develop the area surrounding the College Park Airport, the College Park Aviation Museum and the College Park Metro.

David Kitchens, chairman of the ULI panel that conducted the study, gave the report and suggested the city develop shopping centers, with a focus on restaurants, in the area to make it more "walkable" and to provide dining options for families and out-of-towners visiting the museum.

"We certainly don't want to propose things that are in competition with the museum, but we want to create something that is complimentary," he said.

Kitchens also suggested that because of the incoming M Square, a planned research park featuring offices and University of Maryland, College Park research centers, that the area is not ideal for mixed-use residential facilities.

"M Square brings a lot of opportunity to the area, but it is planned to bring a suburban mentality," Kitchens said. "The walkablility isn't good. People don't have a great walk from the Metro and the connectivity [to the rest of the city] isn't good."

ULI's study was done over two days in September and consisted of a panel of architects, land use attorneys, market analysts and other professionals.

The city also started working to solve a scheduling conflict for the 100th anniversary of the College Park Airport.

The airport, which tentatively scheduled the open house celebration for Sept. 26, 2009, may have to work the event around a University of Maryland, College Park, football game.

"University of Maryland is scheduled contractually to have home games on three of four Saturdays of the season," City Manager Joe Nagro said after speaking with UM Athletic Director Debbie Yow. "They signed the contract several years ago."

While the Terrapins' football schedule is not finalized, Ryan said the Sept. 5, 2009 is already scheduled as an away game, almost ensuring there will be a home game on Sept. 29.

Jack Robson, airport authority chair, said the airport expects a turnout of more than 25,000 people for the celebration, which will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature an air show.

Federal law also prohibits an air show within 3,000 feet of a major sporting event.

Airport manager Lee Schiek said the Sept. 26 date is not absolute.

"We haven't explored the option of holding it on a Sunday because there are usually a lot of smaller community-type events held on Sundays," Schiek said.

Yow told Nagro the time of the game will not be determined until television contracts are finalized.

E-mail Jonah Schuman at jschuman@gazette.net.