Advisory board finds low graffiti incidence; moves toward formal plan for City Trail tunnel mural

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Aug. 18 reviewed police and neighboring-city reports and agreed to begin developing a comprehensive plan for a proposed mural at the 2499 City Trail tunnel, saying available data do not indicate a persistent vandalism problem at similar mural sites.

Board members asked staff to convene a workshop within the next 12 months to draft a short, usable framework for murals across parks and trails and to use the 2499 tunnel as a pilot project. The framework would cover vandalism prevention, maintenance and replacement, RFP development, theme/style guidance, project lifecycle and options for hiring or accepting donated artist services.

Why it matters: Board members said a clear, compact plan will let the board present a measured recommendation to the City Council and provide an RFP-ready document for artists or community projects. Using the tunnel as a first project would give staff and the board experience to guide future public art across Highland Village parks and trails.

Most of the discussion focused on vandalism and whether creating an intentional mural would invite increased tagging. Commander Schlichter of the Highland Village Police Department told the board that, in the department’s records, “we've had 12 incidents since 2016” coded specifically as graffiti cases and that many other markings are handled informally or coded differently. He said most recorded incidents involved juveniles and relatively low dollar damage; a minority of incidents produced higher damage estimates. Schlichter added his view that the city’s school resource officers and local relationships make tracking juvenile taggers more effective.

Staff reported that they had contacted Lewisville and Flower Mound police departments for tunnel-specific data; preliminary responses indicated no significant pattern of vandalism tied to murals in those cities. Staff said cleanup practices (including protective clear coats on murals) and rapid removal by property managers reduce the visible incidence of tagging.

Board members discussed how the comprehensive plan should balance a permissive approach that encourages community art with safeguards that limit maintenance burdens. Suggestions included inviting local teachers and residents into early workshops and using the tunnel project to test different approaches before expanding citywide. A staff member said the plan should remain compact — roughly a two-page framework to accompany RFPs — rather than an exhaustive policy that would slow projects.

Next steps: Staff will gather examples from other cities, prepare a draft template, and propose a workshop date (board members tentatively discussed the week of Sept. 8). The board will use the workshop to refine key elements, then bring a recommendation and supporting materials to City Council.

Ending: Board members generally supported advancing the mural effort as a low-cost, low-risk pilot while documenting vandalism-prevention steps and maintenance commitments to present to council.