Staff recommends accepting the donation from the Anne and Bill Cole Fund for $2,000 to the City's Anti-Graffiti Fund to help fund a mural project for the 6th Street Underpass to prevent continued graffiti.

The 6th Street Underpass is continually a target of graffiti vandalism. Code Enforcement and MDT have spent time and money on covering graffiti in this location. Murals are a proven solution to deter graffiti vandalism. Code Enforcement and MDT are partnering to raise funds to assist with continuing the mural project at that location and cover more of the structure to deter graffiti. A design has not been selected yet, and we are at the fundraising stage of the project. This generous contribution from the Anne and Bill Cole Fund will help advance this project and move toward design and completion of a mural.  

The community as a whole will benefit from a mural project at this location which will assist in eliminating graffiti vandalism at this location.

City Council may:

• Approve the donation to help fund a mural project; or,
• Not Approve the donation and staff will continue to look for ways to prevent the area from continuing to be a magnet for graffiti vandalism.

The acceptance of this donation to the City's Anti-Graffiti Fund will move the project forward.  Additional funds are also being sought to assist with this project through MDT and grant opportunities.

The 6th Street Underpass has been a source of graffiti vandalism for years. With the intersection improvements recently completed, a mural project to deter graffiti will enhance this major travel point in the city.