Planning for large scale mural on old Hays County Justice Center

To bring another element of art to the San Marcos vista, a new mural is in its planning stages, according to city officials.

Council discussed a proposed large scale mural that will eventually dominate the back wall of the old Hays County Justice Center, located on South LBJ, during the Tuesday meeting.

This area is home to many businesses and is a welcome point into the downtown from Interstate 35. Charlotte Wattigny, creative & marketing manager for the city of San Marcos Destination Services, gave council members a glimpse as to what the project entails. Following discussion by council members, the project received unanimous approval.

Wattigny noted that the wall will be a “meaningful visual” that will include community meetings for input as was done in the case of the Veterans Mural and the Barrio del Pescado Mural.

Wattigny said that in most cases when they present a mural to the city council the design is already created, but due to the large scale of this project, planners wanted to get approval beforehand. The wall, to be filled with a still yet to be determined image or series of images, is 200 by 25 feet which is approximately 5,500 square feet, she said. Due to its massive scale, the allocated budget for the project is $100,000.

Wattigny said that the mural will be designed to be “best viewed at a distance” due to its location.

Wattigny pointed out that at this time resources are continuously having to be allocated toward covering graffiti now with paint.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark Gleason expressed his concern about whether there would be a sealant put on the mural to ensure the ease of graffiti removal.

Wattigny said the sealant is included in the budget and represents one of the larger costs for the mural.

Wattigny also pointed out that there is a maintenance budget for graffiti elimination for this project and that the wall will be insured.

When discussion turned to the high price of the mural, Wattigny said, “The scope of the project is a lot more than just painting the wall, there are a lot more moving parts to navigate.”

Wattigny said that a large amount of paint and materials go into this, as well as a need for some sort of lift or scaffolding, all in the presence of a ditch that runs parallel to the wall at the base which may increase the difficulty of the artist’s task. As the railroad has right of way in that vicinity, it is also likely that flaggers will needed near the railroad tracks.

Wattigny said that she has been in contact with railroad officials, and with them, a plan is underway that will address the safety requirements associated with painting so close to the right of way—those working on the mural should not get within 15 feet of the center of the railroad. Mayor Jane Hughson questioned what would be done if they were to go over budget to which Wattigny said that $75,000 to $80,000 will be allocated to the artist’s fee including materials and the rest will be for incidental expenses as a contingency fund of sorts as the project progresses.