Rolling Mill Hill residents press council over mural on Blackman and Arch streets

Residents of the Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood urged the city to create a clearer process for murals and street art after a privately painted image on Blackman and Arch streets drew complaints for its content and placement near homes and a library.

“Blackman Street is a state highway and a heavily traveled road by residents and visitors as a gateway to our city of Wilkes‑Barre,” Linda Joseph, president of the Rolling Mill Hill Residents Association, told council during public comment. She asked the council to consider a zoning approach and a public process so neighbors can register views for or against murals that affect their neighborhoods.

Laura Mudlock, a local business owner and property owner in Rolling Mill Hill, said she and neighbors take pride in the area and that the mural’s depiction — including what Mudlock described as an image of a police officer with “bullet holes” — was painful given personal connections to officers who have been wounded in the line of duty. “It's violent... Is it edifying to our neighborhood?” Mudlock asked, referencing concerns about the mural’s impact on children and community pride.

Council members said they would open lines of communication with the artist, who had contacted the mayor’s office by email, and to have the solicitor review a Pittston ordinance that a resident offered as a model. Council also noted the city’s existing Quality of Life ordinance (passed in March 2017) addresses graffiti and property maintenance; residents said the mural is on private property and that city authority has limits.

No formal council action or new ordinance was adopted at the meeting. The transcript records the council taking the matter “under advisement,” opening communication with the artist, and asking the solicitor to review an example ordinance from Pittston for possible local use.