By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council unanimously approved a request from the nonprofit Citrus Heights Arts to plan and implement an anniversary mural at City Hall last Wednesday evening, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
The nonprofits’ arts group, which has been behind the installation of multiple murals throughout Citrus Heights over the last year, first proposed collaborating with the city for the installation of a mural at City Hall to celebrate America’s 250-year anniversary back in February.
The City Council Wednesday night praised the idea of the proposal after discussion of the future plans.
The cost for the completion of the anniversary mural is estimated to be $8,000, and the nonprofit is requesting a $6,000 contribution from the city’s Community Support Grant funding program.
The current balance of non-allocated Community Support Grant funds is sufficient to support this request, the city said in the agenda packet, and it has confirmed with the Economic Development and Community Engagement Director that funding is eligible for use toward this proposed project.
The remaining $2,000 will be funded by Citrus Heights Arts’ fundraising efforts.
“The proposal is to install a timeless piece that would reflect the identity, history, and character of Citrus Heights,” the city states, adding that the nonprofit has been working with local artists as well as reviewing concepts and installed murals in other communities to help develop ideas for the council and the community’s consideration.
The location for the proposed mural is the exterior cove near the front of City Hall, which was specifically constructed as a recessed wall designed with lighting to support future artwork. The cove is publicly accessible outside.
At the national level, the America250 initiative is being pushed as a bipartisan civic celebration tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. In practice, a lot of local arts organizations, city governments, and artists are interpreting it in a variety of ways, Citrus Heights Director of General Services Regina Cave said Wednesday.
The nonprofit has already selected several potential rendering ideas and plans to publicize the different renderings and obtain feedback from the community at large.
The different renderings include a mixture of elements that reflect the city’s history, including citrus oranges, citrus farming, an orange tree, Lincoln Highway signs, classic cars, and a depiction of the Ladies in White,
The most popular rendering chosen by the community at large will then take two weeks to complete, Citrus Heights Arts said. The goal is to complete the final product by mid-June ahead of the city’s Stars & Stripes Celebration scheduled for June 27.
“While the goal is to celebrate America’s 250-year anniversary, the finished mural will celebrate the history, present, and future of Citrus Heights, with the expectation the mural can remain in place long-term,” the city said, adding that the City Council and City Management have discretion in choosing whether to cover or remove the mural, or any future murals completed on city-owned or maintained property “as deemed necessary.”
