Painting murals on the streets of Mantorville?

Could Mantorville be joining the number of cities nationwide that are attempting to use murals as a way to control speed on streets?
That is an idea that the Councilmember Sharon Davern and the Mantorville Community Relations Committee think is worth investigating.
So much so that they are sponsoring a contest looking for mural designs. A notice included in a recent Mantorville water bill included a notice the group is “looking for designs for murals that we can paint on the pavement of one of our streets. Between three and five designs will be selected.”
The idea, Davern said, came from concerns of residents on 9th Street about the speed of vehicles traveling on the street.
Some cities, she said, including Duluth, have tried to use designs on the roadway as a way of slowing down traffic as an alternative to stop signs and speed bumps. Research, she said, has shown that stop signs are not effective as a way to slow down traffic and, in fact, may actually do the opposite.
“Anecdotally,” she said of the paintings, “it does slow down traffic.”
Interested artists are invited to check out Pinterest and type in Traffic and Pavement Marking for sample designs. They are also invited to go to the Mantorville Community Relations page on Facebook for additional specific information for Mantorville.
Davern, who is in her first term on the Council, is an organizer of the Mantorville Community Relations group.
She said the reason for the committee is “to pull all the residents together.” While it seeks to enhance the sense of belonging and community for all residents of the city, she said, it can also serve as a liaison between the residents of Mantorville and the city administration and council.
Two additional focuses of the group are to “Pay it Forward” and “Shop Locally.”
With Pay it Forward, she said, if a person or someone they know needs assistance the committee will help connect people who need help with people who are willing to help. The needs, she said, may include a chore to be done, a ride, companionship or simply something a person just can’t do themselves. There is no charge for this “neighbor helping neighbor” effort, she said.
Davern also said the committee wants to stress how important it is to shop locally. Doing so, she said, helps friends and neighbors in their businesses.
For more information on the street mural design contest check out the committees Facebook page or call Davern at 507-259-0206.