Committee approves restroom mural call for Pier Parking Lot; $18,000 budget and simplified rubric to guide selection

Jacksonville Beach — The committee approved staff’s request to issue a call to artists for an exterior mural on the pier parking-lot restroom building, asking staff to post the call promptly and to return with applicant materials for the committee’s June review.

Staff described the restroom structure as a one-story building with roughly 900 square feet of wall area (doors excluded) and recommended a project budget of about $18,000 to cover design and execution consistent with previous mural work. "We would like to do is issue a call to artists, to paint the entire structure, all 4 walls. And it's approximately about 900 square feet, all 4 walls, and to maintain consistent with all of our other murals, that would be about $18,000," the staff member said.

Why it matters

The committee and staff said the pier parking lot project is part of a broader downtown improvement effort that includes Pier Parking Lot Phase 1 hardscaping, new bike racks and landscaping; the mural is intended to improve a blank visible wall and integrate with other public art investments.

Key details and committee guidance

- Eligibility and local scope: For the restroom mural, staff proposed opening the call to artists who currently reside in Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, or Atlantic Beach; committee members agreed to that geography for this project. Staff said they would accept applications from artists who either live locally or operate a local brick-and-mortar business.

- Submission and rubric: The staff member said the selection process will use a simplified rubric scoring up to 15 points across artistic quality (creativity, visual impact), connection to the coastal/community theme, and professionalism; experience working on large outdoor murals will be a yes/no criterion, and a local yes/no box will appear near the end of the rubric. Staff will require a high-quality, to-scale digital mock-up superimposed on the building to help reviewers visualize the finished piece.

- Scope limits and maintenance: Committee members discussed maintenance concerns. They recommended excluding heavily handled elements (door faces and eaves) from detailed mural work or requiring that doors be a single solid color for ease of repainting. Staff added that waterproofing or protective treatment will be required on the east-facing wall near outdoor showers because of water exposure.

- Timeline and process: Staff proposed issuing the call the next day, leaving it open for roughly two weeks, and closing submissions on the 30th at a morning deadline. Staff said they would distribute applicant materials to committee members the following Friday or Saturday and hold a two-hour committee review meeting on June 5 to recommend a finalist for CRA and council review. The staff member said they hoped to have award, contract, and completion prior to the Fourth of July weekend but later noted that the schedule may shift.

Budget and logistics

The staff member said doors were not included in the 900-square-foot estimate and that the budget estimate of $18,000 reflected exterior wall area; actual award amounts will follow the simplified rubric and available funding. Staff said they will check with parks maintenance, police, and fire officials about required markings (for example, an address or safety number that may need to remain visible) and will confirm which surfaces are suitable to paint.

Next steps

Committee members approved the staff recommendation to issue the restroom mural call and asked staff to circulate the call widely via the committee’s newsletter, social media, and cultural-council contacts. Staff will return with applicant packets and scored materials for the committee meeting on June 5.