There's a large, river-like mural on an outer wall that forms a boundary to the open-air tot lot by 4th and Sibley Street. It faces the Union Depot, and it's been there for the better part of 20 years.
Folks at the neighborhood district council -- including CapitolRiver Council board chair and commercial Realtor Jim Miller -- are worried that it may soon get torn down.
That tot lot wall is on the outside of the building that houses Twin Cities Public Television, which plans to begin construction on a major expansion within the next two months.
St. Paul resident Caprice Glaser is the artist, and her work adorns public spaces from St. Paul's Robert Street to Minneapolis. She's not too happy about the prospect of losing one of her signature pieces, and neither is Miller. With construction likely by December, there's little time to galvanize a "Save the mural!" campaign, but Miller is ready.
"I have not talked to (TPT). My initial concern is that we have a fair public process, so everyone can talk about it," Miller said. "There was a vote (Wednesday) that the matter be referred to the Public Realm committee, which is chaired by the Rev. Englund, First Baptist Church in downtown. The (tot lot) property is owned the city parks dept. and managed by the parks dept."
Is compromise possible? Could the same muralist be asked to redo her mural once the expansion is complete?
"If the same artist updated it, I think that's fine," Miller continued. "But the plan that Caprice Glaser told me is that the plan is to eliminate the mural, paint it to look like a warehouse wall, and make it a huge billboard for TPT."
The post CapitolRiver Council chair to Twin Cities Public Television: Save the tot lot mural! appeared first on City Hall Scoop.