Bad news came through this week. Apparently due to a budget shortfall in the Village of Oak Park, it looks like my planned mural project will probably not materialize (or at least be significantly delayed). I originally understood this was a sure thing and the money was budgeted already. But because of a lower tax base Oak Park is making cuts in expenditures.
I’m actually a victim of the burst of the housing bubble – most of the lost revenues were from dwindling real estate transfer taxes.
Also the volunteer committee that chose me put a lot of work and thought into this project and there efforts were disappointed. Thanks Especially to Nick Bridge and Loretta Daily.
Here are two computer generated photomontages of the designs and sites. The two part one (below) on opposite sides of the viaduct is the original design for the Oak Park green line train station . The one piece mural (above) was a redesign for the Marion St. train station site after we realized that the first site had extensive concrete failure on the wall.
Stephan Giannini 