Kenai commissioners weigh new holiday displays, spring flowers and murals
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Summary
Commissioners discussed replacing worn holiday street-light displays, ordering spring flowers with more greenery and initiating mural projects on city-owned walls; staff said orders will be placed soon and mural planning will continue into the January work-plan process.
KENAI — At the Dec. 9 Beautification Commission meeting, commissioners and staff discussed a range of beautification items: replacing holiday street-light displays, next spring’s flower order and possible mural locations and themes.
Staff reported some poinsettia-style holiday displays were damaged in a recent windstorm and said a $50,000 budget could buy roughly 35–45 displays depending on type and unit price (staff estimated units usually cost $1,000–$2,000 each). Commissioners discussed prioritizing corridors (Willow, Airport Way and the Kenai Spur), possible patterns (toy soldiers, candy cane, a fish/dip-net motif) and whether to pursue custom designs that could raise cost. Staff noted some donated decorative elements — including a fish ornament — and suggested a design review at a future work session.
On spring plantings, staff led a discussion of last year’s choices (reduced pinks, new varieties) and encouraged more cohesive color schemes and additional greenery in certain beds. Grounds staff (referred to in discussion as Randy) was identified as someone commissioners want to invite to present planting-day layouts. Commissioners recommended that staff include pictures of plant varieties on the maps used for planting day and agreed to provide homework — such as suggesting static-sign ideas and color estimates — before the Jan. 13 meeting.
The commission also discussed murals, with staff noting contact with an artist via the Kenai Community Foundation and offering a rough cost example of about $20 per linear foot for mounted work. Suggested locations included the green-strip pavilion and restrooms, the rec center’s large flat walls and other city-owned surfaces. Commissioners recommended soliciting the local art center to help develop themes and to continue the conversation during January work-plan meetings.
Staff additionally recapped a 2024 winter-tour effort that wrapped tree bases at Leif Hansen, repaired and replaced some lights and evaluated static displays; commissioners debated color-consistency strategies (one-color versus multicolor schemes) for wrapped trees and asked staff to map recommended zones for consistent color themes.
What happens next: staff said orders for spring annuals would be placed in the coming two weeks, maps and vendor options will be prepared for the Jan. 13 meeting, and mural planning will continue as part of next year’s work-plan and budgeting process.
