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Council approves $50,000 Illuminate Indianola mural project after public presentation
Summary
The council authorized agreements for a downtown alley mural and interactive lighting project. The Indianola Public Arts Commission said the project budget is $50,000, with a $25,000 Bravo grant and about $6,000 left to raise.
The Indianola City Council voted to authorize agreements for the Illuminate Indianola mural and alley-lighting project after a presentation by the Indianola Public Arts Commission on Monday.
Bob Kling, outgoing chair of the Indianola Public Arts Commission, presented the proposal with new commission chair Justin Estrella. Kling described the narrow alley between downtown buildings as underlit and said the plan will add murals on both sides of the alley with interactive lighting elements created by artist Laurie Hepner.
“We have come up with lighting artists. ... She has done a lot of work with lighting where she has wands that she works with and is able to work with community members,” Kling said, describing a community-driven design process.
Commission members and staff told the council the project budget is $50,000. The commission said it has a $25,000 grant from Bravo and had raised most of the remaining funds, leaving about $6,000 to secure. Commissioners said the artwork can be mounted and programmed with timers and that the city’s utilities and staff had reviewed the plan and were supportive.
The project will include community workshops with the artist and is intended to make the alley safer and draw people to the downtown square. Council members who spoke praised the concept and said it could spur additional downtown improvements. The council passed a resolution authorizing agreements to implement the project.
Votes at a glance: The resolution authorizing agreements for the Illuminate Indianola mural project passed by roll call; council members recorded “Aye” votes during the final motion. The council directed staff to finalize agreements and to place project materials and the project video on the city website for public viewing.
Implementation notes: The commission said the artist is from Pennsylvania and will work with local residents and businesses on final design details. Project partners include IMU (Indianola Municipal Utilities) for utility coordination; the commission said lighting equipment will be selected with long lifespans and can be controlled by timers to balance safety and energy use.
