Merkel: Time is now for mural restoration

Mobridge Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Haden Merkel told the Mobridge City Council Monday, April 21, that the time is now to restore the murals at Scherr-Howe Event Center.

Merkel said because some of the timelines for grants secured by former North Central South Dakota Economic Development Director Christine Goldsmith will be expiring in June, the work needs to be done this summer.

We think we are ready to do the restoration, Merkel told the council.

The south wall (with the murals depicting Ceremonies of the Sioux) will be restored and the north wall (depicting History Along the Missouri) will be cleaned and an artist, Nickolas Ward, will refresh the paintings.

In the Chicago Conservatory report on the condition of the murals, concern is expressed for the murals on the north wall. These murals have suffered from water damage from condensation and leaking from the roof, heat, damage from basketballs, and have been extensively repainted. The repainting is heavier and darker than the original and is cut in around the original shapes on the murals.

Structurally, (the murals are painted on a rough cement surface) there are numerous cracks and areas where the walls are deformed. There are also spots where the concrete is crumbling. The far-east mural, Retreat is most severely damaged. This is also the panel that holds Howes signature and the year of the project.

The south walls are in better shape and there will be less repair needed to the structure of the murals, with the exception of where the basketball hoop brackets were anchored. There is also more damage on the western most panel, Social Dance will need the most work because it is within reach of the bleacher crowds. Large cracks near the railing have been repaired, but no restoration work was done on that concrete repair.

She told the council the decision should be made soon in order for Ward, to be secured for the summer. Merkel said she needs to find Ward a place to stay while he is working on the murals, in order to keep the cost of the project down. Having a home to stay in rather than lodging in a hotel would cut back on the cost for his portion of the restoration project.

Mayor Jamie Dietterle asked that Mobridge Chief Finance Officer Heather Beck and City Administrator Steve Gasser review the contracts in order to ensure the grant funding and pledges are available even though the installation of the bathrooms has been put on back burner.

Merkel assured the council Friends of Scherr-Howe (FOSH), the group formed to raise funding for the restoration of the historical building and the murals and to create the community center there, will continue to raise funds to install bathrooms on the main floor of the building.

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Merkel: Time is now for mural restoration