BRADY FLANIGANStaff Writer

There’s a plan in motion to put something on the walls. At the June 9 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, Alderman Matthew Bird introduced a proposal to establish a rotating art and historical photo exhibit inside the executive boardroom of City Hall. Additional displays may go up downstairs in the lobby and across the parking lot in the police station. 

The idea started at a May 15 Arts Council meeting, where someone brought up the Fine Arts Center and the old photographs buried in its archive. Arts Council liaison Lyle Russell suggested using them to dress up the walls in the boardroom. It’s not a space known for its charisma. 

Bird took it to City Administrator Jason Quick, who supported the initiative. Quick suggested a second exhibit area downstairs. Bird then reached out to the fire and police departments to see what other public spaces might benefit. The fire halls were too tight. But Police Chief Chase Sons offered up space in the station lobby, calling it a “perfect location” for display. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen passed the motion with unanimous support.

Nothing’s been hung yet. The Arts Council met to discuss the details—submission guidelines, selection process, rotation schedule—at its June 19 meeting. The meeting was open to the public and was held in the downstairs conference room of the Municipal Building.