The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board voted during their October meeting to help fund an art mural inside the flood wall at the city waterfront.

The start-up cost for the mural is $14,000. The Downtown Vicksburg Main Street Program, which requested help from the VCVB, will split the cost with the VCVB with each paying $7,000.

The completed scope of the project will be funded by a grant from the City of Vicksburg.

“The city is funding this mural but because of the city rules, they cannot pay the $14,000 startup cost. They can only pay things on the back end and the artist has to have materials on the front end,” VCVB executive director Laura Beth Strickland said.

The city of Vicksburg and Vicksburg Main Street is working with Craig Thomas Art on the mural. The purpose of the mural, Strickland said, is to have a more vibrant, welcoming experience for guests arriving via boat at the downtown Vicksburg waterfront.

Next steps include a meeting with the artist to discuss what will be included in the mural. The artist will then create a rendering and share it with Vicksburg Main Street, the VCVB and the city for input.

Strickland said once a rendering of the mural is approved the artist will begin work, with an estimated timeline of 10 weeks until the project is completed.

The total cost of the mural is $42,000.

The reason for the high cost, Strickland said, is due to the paint used.

The type of paint would be silica-based paint that is environmentally safe and last for decades. No paint, with any variety of color palettes, is guaranteed for long periods of submergence under water, but silica paint has the best record of longevity.

An extra coat of paint will be applied in the detail areas for extra protection.