New Smyrna CRA To Consider MLK Jr. Bridge Mural Project, Building Sale

New Smyrna Beach, FL - Next Tuesday, the New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will meet to discuss a mural project for the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and a $1.1 million offer to purchase city-owned property. The idea for the multicolored murals came during a city employee-based Diversity and Inclusion Committee meeting, where it was suggested that the city encourage new works of public art in the spirit of "better connecting our community." As such, the City of New Smyrna Beach has partnered with the Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) to revitalize the existing mural under Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge over US-1.  Artists with the ACA have since created three mural concepts that staff will review following a brief synopsis of the project at their next meeting. If the mural project is approved, the city and the ACA would then plan to re-dedicate the MLK Jr. Bridge on January 17 of next year to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the completion of the project. Additionally, if the project is approved the city will also have to seek approval from the state by submitting the project through a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Community Aesthetics Features evaluation and approval process. If for some reason that fails, the agenda item for the murals indicates there are seven alternate locations that include the city gym; the south wall of the New Smyrna Beach Museum of History; the west wall of the restroom building at Riverside Park; the Coronado Civic Center; the Alonzo "Babe" James  Community Center; Pettis Park; and NSB gateway sign on State Road 44. Also up for talks is the possible sale of a city-owned building, the Developmental Services building located at 2650 & 2700 N. Dixie Freeway. An agenda item regarding the sale says the city received a $1.1 million proposal from Coastal Claims Services, Inc. back in May to convert the property into an office building suite with a business incubator and gallery space for local artists and artifacts from the Museum of History. The proposal also includes repainting the building’s exterior, making landscaping improvements, and revitalizing the outparcel building located in the adjacent parking lot. The New Smyrna Beach CRA will meet and discuss these projects and proposals on June 22 at the Brannon Center. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Click here to view the meeting’s full agenda.