Bay City commissioners approve letter supporting $60,000 traffic-calming mural grant

Bay City commissioners voted to authorize a letter of support for a $60,000 grant to fund pavement murals and crosswalk treatments intended to calm traffic downtown. Speaker 1 told the group the grant application is due soon and asked for approval to have Bill sign the letter of support; the motion was seconded and approved after a brief roll call.

The proposal, introduced by Speaker 3, would place art on pavement in select parking spots and add optical-illusion crosswalks near the Madison and Columbus intersection. "It's like a traffic calming optical illusion," Speaker 1 said, adding that local artists would create the final designs. Organizers plan to coordinate the work with the annual City of Murals Festival to ensure community involvement while meeting the grant deadline.

Commissioners asked whether a painted mural in a parking spot would remove parking; Speaker 1 said she did not believe spots would be lost but committed to verifying that with the project lead. Speakers also noted the installation could require closing an intersection for a few hours or a day; Speaker 1 said she would share the schedule and additional details when available.

The vote approved the request "for Bill to sign the support letter" and Speaker 1 declared the motion passed. The motion record in the meeting transcript does not include a named mover or a full roll-call tally; several commissioners responded "Aye." The meeting packet and an emailed copy of the draft letter were available to commissioners before the vote.

Next steps: staff will confirm whether painted murals will remove parking spaces, the anticipated installation window, and any required traffic-control plans, then circulate that information to commissioners and the public.