Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Commission approves Taylor & State demonstration art and traffic-calming paints under USDOT grant
Loading...
Summary
The Syracuse Public Art Commission approved a temporary community-painted traffic-calming and beautification demonstration at Taylor and State under a USDOT Reconnecting Communities grant.
The Syracuse Public Art Commission voted to approve a temporary public-art and traffic-calming demonstration associated with the city’s USDOT Reconnecting Communities grant. The application, presented by Joe Driscoll and the Stantec team, covers painted street-area treatments to shorten lane widths, painted pillars under a railroad bridge on Taylor, and solar LED lighting strips. Commissioners approved the proposal after questions about paint type, site conditions and maintenance.
Driscoll said the work is part of a larger USDOT Reconnecting Communities grant that funded study and demonstration along corridors including Colvin, Martin Luther King (MLK), Taylor, Adams and Harrison. The presenter said the overall grant award is $500,000 to examine multimodal connectivity, traffic calming and community improvements; Stantec will deliver two demonstration projects as part of the grant’s public-engagement component.
The demonstration at Taylor and State would include temporary deck-and-floor enamel paint on street surfaces, painted designs on pillars under the Taylor railroad bridge and LED solar lighting along concrete elements. The presenters said most of the pillar work sits on New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad (NYSW) property; NYSW will be named as an additional insured on city insurance for the project. The installation was described as a one-year demonstration; a maintenance review would follow and the city could decide to retain or remove the treatments after that period.
Commissioners asked about stormwater/runoff and durability. The presenter said the plan is a temporary, one-year installation, and a post-year review would consider long-term maintenance and whether to retain or paint over the work. Staff and commissioners recommended considering anti-graffiti and UV-resistant sealants; the presenter said such products are available but may increase cost. Commissioners also asked about lighting, road closures and volunteer management; the presenter said city staff, Stantec and an EDR landscaping/design team will set up a paint-by-numbers grid and run community painting events (planned community painting around mid-afternoon) and will manage road closures and volunteer staffing.
The meeting record shows the commission approved the application by motion (agenda item referenced as SPAC 25-18 in discussion). Commissioner Emmanuel (spelled “Emanuel” in the transcript) seconded the motion; the chair announced the motion carried. The presenter said artist compensation is still being finalized and may rely on in-kind support or partner funding rather than direct grant payout.
Directions captured at the meeting include: staff and project team should evaluate paint and sealant options for durability and anti-graffiti protection; confirm insurance naming for NYSW; coordinate school and community outreach for volunteer painting events; and plan a post-installation maintenance review after one year.
