Parker council approves $350,000 mural for new downtown parking garage

The Parker Town Council voted unanimously Oct. 6 to award a contract to Colorado muralist Beamer Torres to paint approximately 8,300 square feet of artwork on the new parking garage next to the Parker Arts, Culture and Events (PACE) Center.

Council approved the staff recommendation to contract for the mural at an October meeting after a public selection process that solicited qualifications from muralists statewide. The contract budget for design, supplies, equipment and installation is $350,000; staff said that figure reflects prevailing market rates for large murals and is lower than the cost of applying premium veneer across the entire structure.

Town cultural staff and engineering staff presented the project to the council. Carrie Glassburn of the town’s cultural department told the council the mural will be executed across four locations on the garage, including a west wall facing the PACE Center and a retaining wall by the south stair core, and that installation is slated for spring–summer 2026, with completion by August 2026. "This is going to be the biggest art project that we have had in Parker," Glassburn said.

Glassburn and the selection panel described a multi‑step procurement. An RFQ drew 52 submissions statewide; 48 met the Colorado residency requirement for this solicitation. A short list of four finalists received stipends to develop concepts; the panel reviewed those concepts in July and recommended Torres based on his storytelling approach, technical experience with large‑format spray work and research into Parker history and landscapes.

The artist’s concept, titled "Portals of Parker," presents layered visual "portals" intended to link eras of local history — indigenous presence, ranching and stagecoach and railroad eras — with native wildlife and landscape elements. Workshop and community engagement opportunities, artist talks and time‑lapse documentation of the installation were discussed as part of the outreach plan.

Council members praised the panel makeup and the outreach to adjacent neighborhoods. Council voted to approve the staff recommendation; the motion carried unanimously. Staff said the contract will include premiums for primer, anti‑graffiti coating and required lift/insurance costs, and that the artist will be invited to perform first‑right touchups if future maintenance is required.

The town noted the mural project also fulfills a public art element required under the town’s development and finance agreement for the PACE‑adjacent development and is consistent with the town’s public art master plan. Work on the garage structure is complete; mural priming and surface preparation will wait for warmer weather. The town communications team plans staged community engagement during the work rather than a single concealed unveiling.

Votes at a glance: the council moved and approved the staff recommendation to award the mural contract; the motion carried unanimously.