Neighbors seek murals at Waverly Park; commission presses redesign for drainage safety

At a Lexington Public Art Commission meeting, residents asked to move a Phase 1 application for mural work at Waverly Park to Phase 2 after commission members raised environmental and durability concerns about painting concrete drainage channels.

Ed Monahan, a resident of Clemens Heights and a member of the Friends of Waverly Park volunteer group, said volunteers have spent two years removing invasive species and planting native trees and pollinator plantings at the neighborhood park. He described a Phase 1 proposal to paint two concrete drainage abutments, two concrete basketball-support posts and portions of a concrete drainage channel to reflect native-plant themes. Monahan said artist Sherry Graham Greene, who painted a mural in Meadowthorpe Park, has agreed to lead the design and community engagement.

The commission focused on environmental risks posed by painting surfaces that regularly contact runoff. "This is water runoff that's not gonna be treated. So this will enter our waterways," said a commission member who…