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Charles City Town of Colors Committee withdraws LEC mural idea over negative reaction

Charles City Town of Colors Committee withdraws LEC mural idea over negative reaction
A mural honoring first responders suggested for this Gilbert Street-facing wall of the Floyd County Law Enforcement Center won’t happen, after the Town of Colors Committee withdrew its request following negative reaction to the idea. Press photo by Bob Steenson
By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Town of Colors Committee has withdrawn its request for approval to have a mural in honor of first responders painted on the side of the new Floyd County Law Enforcement Center, after receiving negative reaction.

Dean Andrews, a member of the committee, was at the Floyd County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday morning to tell the board of the committee’s decision. The organization had made the request to work with the county on the mural at a previous supervisors meeting, Monday, March 13.

Andrews said Brandy Molitor, president of Floyd County EMS, had approached the Town of Colors Committee with the idea of doing a mural to honor first responders, and the committee thought the wall of the law enforcement center would be an appropriate site.

Andrews – who specified he was there as a member of the Town of Colors Committee, not as the Charles City mayor – said the committee has always worked very closely with the artist and the owner of a building selected for a mural.

“That’s been a very positive experience for all three entities,” he said.

“I’ve heard that there’s been some concerns from some county employees that maybe this is not the correct wall for a mural, and so that being said we’d like to withdraw that request to use that wall,” Andrews said.

“This is not something we want 80% participation. We want 100% participation from the committee, the artist and the building owner. We’re not here to force a mural upon anybody,” he said. “We are doing this to enhance the walls and so we really like to work very strongly with the building owner.”

Supervisor Dennis Keifer said he had received several comments, none of them supporting the mural idea.

“Personally I just think it’s inappropriate for a county-owned building to get into something like that. What’s going to be the next request from another group?” Keifer asked.

He also said someone suggested to him that a statue or monument could be erected in Central Park to honor first responders.

Supervisor Jim Jorgensen said he was “amazed” at the number of comments he received about the idea.

“In all of them there was not one that was positive,” he said, including from law enforcement employees.

“The big thing was they didn’t really want to put something on the wall that was going to attract graffiti, they felt that was going to be an issue. The maintenance of it in five to 10 years, which personally, myself, I wondered about that, too,” he said.

“They like the clean wall. They like the blend that transfers into the 1940s structure. … A lot of them were, this is a county building, it’s a government building, it’s a new building – do it on an older building,” Jorgensen said.

“I tend to agree with them. As I go through department to department, … I can see the ownership these employees take in their work area and their department. The sheriff’s department takes ownership in that wall. I’ve got to respect that, too,” he said.

Supervisor Chair Mark Kuhn said he had heard some positive comments, but most were against the idea. People were really in favor of the idea of honoring first responders, but not with a mural in that location.

Some people had suggested that perhaps something appropriate could be done to honor first responders if a grand opening is held for the updated courthouse, Kuhn said.

 

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