Painting in Progress

There's been a guy prepping and painting the railings on these steps in Morningside Park the past couple of weeks.  Thing is, it's not altogether clear to me that he's actually supposed to be prepping and painting the railings.  It's one guy dressed in raggedy clothes with a bucket and a few brushes.  There's no visible cue that he works for the Parks Department or a contractor.  When I saw him yesterday he said "Don't worry.  I'm not going to rob you."  He's doing a decent job of painting so this isn't a complaint.