The City of Hanford will be the home to a handful of new murals after the city council approved three designs at various locations downtown on Tuesday night despite disagreement between the dais on the design destined for the outside of the Hanford Plunge.
The two designs approved without any discussion included the Kings Art Center’s elaborate mural design featuring mostly reds and blues, and Main Street Hanford’s postcard-esque design aimed to encapsulate key features of the city. The Kings Art Center mural will be featured on their building, and Main Street Hanford’s will be featured on Irwin Street.
However, when the mural design for The Plunge’s wall facing Lacey Boulevard was pulled from the council’s consent calendar for discussion, it was clear two councilmembers were uncertain of the artwork proposed.
The design in question featured big white letters outlined in a bold blue spelling out “PLUNGE” and set against a shade of blue to match the pools’ water. The proposed artwork also included a city seal painted in red on each side of the facility’s name.
Vice Mayor Travis Paden and Councilman Mark Kairis requested the city take a more intricate approach to the design and include coinciding features to those featured on the inside of the facility.
Paden initially questioned how the city would pay for the mural, being that The Plunge is a city owned entity.
Parks and Community Services Director Brad Albert explained that the mural would also technically act as a sign. He said the city has considered reaching out to the local Boys and Girls Club for artistic assistance via volunteer community service.
Albert said the cost would be low, as he estimated the only supplies needed would be a few gallons of paint and an anti-graffiti coating treatment, and said it could potentially be covered by a grant.
Albert also defended the proposed design by saying he wanted something simple, clean, and easy to read as people pass by the heavily trafficked area.
Paden acknowledged the design’s simplicity but requested the city consider adding marine life of some type to the design to match the painting on the back wall of the facility.
Kairis explained that the city’s rules regarding murals regulate the city’s influence of a design’s components and that the mural design is dependent upon who is funding and painting the mural. He said that The Plunge’s mural gives the council an opportunity to discuss other design options that can be tailored to the city and community’s tastes.
Councilmembers Kimber Regan and Nancy Howze both defended the simple design and said they would prefer if the design wasn’t too busy. Howze said that the marine life aspect wouldn’t be needed on the mural facing Lacey Boulevard because those passing by are able to glimpse the present painted marine life through the slats in the fencing.
Ultimately, the city’s proposed design featuring the letters and the city seals passed with a split vote of 3-2. Kairis and Paden stood firm in their opposition.
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