Here are the issues with closing Plum Street for the ‘Black Lives Matter!’ mural – The Cincinnati Enquirer

A Black Lives Matter mural is painted in front of Cincinnati City Hall, Thursday, June 18, 2020. Cincinnati Enquirer

There are no funds in the budget for maintaining a pedestrian plaza outside of City Hall, City Manager Patrick Duhaney wrote in a Friday memo to Mayor John Cranley and councilmembers.

To close Plum Street and provide a plaza around the new "Black Lives Matter!" mural, at least $25,000 is needed. That money would go towards traffic signal timing modifications, sign installation and permanent barricades. The memo states these funds do not exist in the fiscal year 2021 budget.

The memo also states there are limited options for successfully sealing the mural, which would protect the mural from potential damage and fading.

Duhaney raised concerns Wednesday when council passed a motion to establish a pedestrian plaza on Plum Street to preserve the mural.

Closing Plum Street between Eighth and Ninth streets would cause problems for residents and a business owner in the area, Duhaney said.

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The artists who created the mural hope the space can be a center of constructive conversation and a way to honor Cincinnati's Black community members. Alandes Powell, who wrote the poem which inspired the mural, said the "real work" will come after the mural is preserved.

But getting to that point might take some time, Duhaney said Wednesday.

On Friday Duhaney released a full list of concerns in a memo to Mayor John Cranley and members of City Council. Those concernsare outlined below, per Duhaney's memo:

The Department of Transportation and Engineering will need to provide a plan which addresses the above concerns and then get that plan reviewed and approved by the City Planning Commission, the memo states. If the street closure is proved feasible, an ordinance of City Council will need to officially approve the closure of Plum Street and appropriate funds.

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Here are the issues with closing Plum Street for the 'Black Lives Matter!' mural - The Cincinnati Enquirer

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