Public Art Commission approves $30,020 for Waverly Park murals after engineering concerns narrowed

The Lexington City Public Art Commission on May 6 approved a $30,020 grant to the Friends of Waverly Park to fund artist Sherry Graham Greene’s proposed murals on three concrete abutments at Waverly Park.

The vote funds Sherry Graham Greene’s mural designs for three locations on the east side of Waverly Park and allows the applicant to proceed without returning for a formal phase‑2 review, contingent on the project following design limits discussed at the meeting.

Friends of Waverly Park representative Ed Monahan told the commission the group revised its application after earlier feedback and discussions with Parks staff. “I'm Ed Monahan. I'm with the Friends of Waverly Park,” he said, and confirmed the group’s total project budget is $37,525 and that Council member Baxter has committed the 20% match of $7,505. Monahan said Parks staff would perform power‑washing after volunteers and the artist wire‑brushed moss and biological growth from the concrete.

Artist Sherry Graham Greene described the designs and community outreach. She said the project would incorporate native plants and wildlife and could “teach kids as they walk around through the park” by labeling species and including seasonal scenes and community handprints on higher, dry surfaces. Greene noted site prep would include wire‑brushing and priming before Parks’ power washing.

Commissioners pressed on durability and safety. A commission member who identified himself as Andrew and described himself as a civil engineer warned that the structure is stormwater infrastructure: “That's a detention pond. That's where all the water accumulates, and then that's a weir that's controlling the flow of that water, so we don't have flooding downstream.” He said painting interior wet surfaces could be short‑lived and could encourage unsafe public access inside outlet control areas. In response, applicants said they revised the proposal to avoid surfaces that receive direct flow and that the artist had drawn a one‑foot unpainted buffer at the base of the abutments; commissioners later asked the applicant to raise that unpainted barrier to 18 inches on some elements to reduce the chance of people entering the fenced outlet area.

Commission discussion also stressed protective coatings and maintenance. Commissioners recommended using the highest‑grade exterior clear coats, applied in multiple coats, to improve UV protection and make graffiti removal less damaging to the mural. The proposal already included a 10% maintenance fee and a commitment that the artist would remove graffiti when needed.

Motion and next steps

A motion to approve the project and the $30,020 award, allowing the applicants to move forward without returning for a phase‑2 presentation, carried. The commission recorded the approval with the following conditions and implementation notes captured in the discussion: Parks will perform the power washing; the artist will not paint surfaces that receive direct stormwater flow and will maintain an elevated unpainted buffer (the commission requested some elements be at 18 inches); Council member Baxter’s 20% match will supply the local match; and the project includes a 10% maintenance fund and the artist’s commitment to graffiti removal.

The commission directed staff to prepare a contract for signature and then route it to counsel before issuing funds.

Why it matters

The work will visually unify the east side of Waverly Park and add interpretive elements about native plants and wildlife, according to the artist and residents who attended a neighborhood review. The project also serves as a test case for how the commission funds art on engineered infrastructure and how protective treatments hold up in a drainage setting.

What’s next

Staff will prepare a contract and return it for execution; Parks and the Friends of Waverly Park will schedule prep and installation work with the artist. Commission members said they expect to score the funded project on the standard post‑award scoring/monitoring checklist and track any maintenance or durability issues that arise.