SPRINGFIELD – Last Thursday, a City of Springfield traffic team installed the 45th storm drain mural in Springfield. Local artist Rae Matagora designed the painting in celebration of the city’s 10th anniversary of “Upstream Art” storm drain mural projects.
According to Brooke Mossefin, communications coordinator, the UpStream Art project began in 2016 and has since commissioned 45 murals at storm drains across the city. It is funded by stormwater utility fees, not taxes, and fulfills requirements from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality that the City educate the public about the stormwater system.
The mural was installed at around 6 a.m. to beat the heat and is located on the Harlow Road sidewalk directly in front of Guy Lee Elementary School, near the storm drain by the bus stop. This is the Gateway area’s first mural installation, located along a major road rather than tucked away from traffic.
It is 50 feet long, featuring bright blue, yellow, green, and orange colors, and showcases water drops, roads, and various water critters, including frogs, dragonflies, and turtles.
“The mural shows that rain moves over the street and connects to nature,” said Matagora. “It’s meant to spark curiosity and have some fun.”
This isn’t your average paint-on-concrete mural. This year, instead of using traffic paint, the city used thermoplastic, which has a longer lifespan and greater durability. City crews unpacked and laid sheets of pre-cut, painted thermoplastic like a puzzle on the sidewalk, then melted them in place with torches. Installation is much quicker than typical paint, too. Thermoplastic can be installed in a few hours versus a few days for paint to dry.
According to a media release from the city, the Gateway neighborhood was selected this year due to its high volume of traffic and foot traffic from shoppers, students, and bus riders.
