Veterans group seeks painted walkway at Patriot's Park; council asks engineer review

John Sekletar, representing the Veterans Mural Association, asked the Amherst City Council on Sept. 8 to support a proposal to paint a 5-foot-by-150-foot walkway in front of the mural wall at Patriot's Park.

Sekletar said the painted walkway would ‘‘tie the mural wall and Patriot's Park together’’ and described a plan to use a traffic-grade coating he identified as an Armor Seal/Tread-Plex product recommended by Sherwin-Williams. He said the group had received an estimate of roughly $2,000 for prep and labor if a local artist named Michael performs the work, plus about $650 for five gallons of paint, for a total of about $2,650. Sekletar said his nonprofit would cover costs if needed and offered to address future upkeep if the coating lasted less than the vendor’s estimate.

Council members expressed general support for improving the site but asked that city staff and the engineering department review the proposal before any work begins. The mayor reported that the superintendent of utilities and city engineers expressed concerns about safety (slip hazard), maintenance, and the fact that the parking lot is scheduled for repaving in a future capital project; those factors could undermine a short-term paint investment. The mayor asked Sekletar to submit the formal proposal to the mayor’s office so staff could route it to engineering and the street department for review.

Scott Robinson, a volunteer who works at Patriot's Park, clarified on the record that the proposal would paint the walkway between the pavers and the parking lot, not the parking-lot driving surface. Robinson said, “It’s not gonna be painting on the parking lot. It’s going to be the walkway between the pavers and the parking lot.” Sekletar also told council that Sherwin-Williams had told the group the product was used by Metroparks and that the vendor ‘‘stands by their paint.’’

No formal council motion or funding action was taken. The council directed the petitioner to submit the written proposal and product specifications to the mayor’s office; staff will forward the materials to the city engineer and the street department for a safety and maintenance review. The mayor cautioned that, given current project workloads and upcoming capital work on that lot, completing the project before Veterans Day would be unlikely.

The council did not set a formal timeline or conditionally authorize work; any on-site work on city property would require written approval following staff review.