TMCN project continues with new downtown mural

TMCN project continues with new downtown mural News Staff Tue, 07/23/2024 - 4:21 pm A new mural in downtown Breckenridge that proclaims the city as the “place to B” was completed last week. Photo/Mike Williams X Mike Williams news@breckenridgeamerican.com One part of a project led by a group of Breckenridge High Schools students was recently completed.  As part of the project, a new mural resides in the heart of the “Mural Capital of Texas.” The new mural, which proclaims Breckenridge as “the place to B,” is located in the empty space in between the Security Title and the old Bealls building that has been used as a parking lot in recent years. The Bealls building is currently being renovated into a restaurant. BHS seniors Miley Roberts, Tim Newell, Joni Jackson and Jack McKay are working with community leaders to build a community activity area in the downtown area. The program, which is part of the Texas Midwest Community Network, partners high school juniors with mentors and community leaders to undertake a project in their community and compete to earn cash prizes that can be used towards college, trade school or to start a business. The group’s project started last school year and they have until graduation to complete it. The goal is to turn the empty lot into a community area. The idea was presented to the city of Breckenridge, Rotary Club of Breckenridge and other groups last spring. “The idea that we came up with is to turn (the area) in between the Security Title and the old Bealls building into a hangout area for people after walking around all day and enjoying the town, having a nice area to go sit down and relax,” Roberts told the Rotary club. “We also want to put a mural in the space to create an area for people to tag (on social media) and post about so that we create a bigger environment for people to come out and see Breckenridge.” The group plans to include table and yard games to the area as well as places for visitors to sit and mingle. The total cost estimate was $18,500. While the TMCN group continues work on this project and towards high school graduation, Jackson told the Rotary club that it has plans to make sure the are is kept up after they graduate in May 2025. Jackson said that future iterations of the school’s Interact Club could be tasked with cleaning up and upkeep of the space in the future. The Interact Club is a youth program sponsored by the Rotary Club of Breckenridge. All four members of the TMCN group are involved with the Interact Club. “I know there’s community service, so we think it would be a great idea to have the Rotary with the Interact Club since we are all involved with that already,” Jackson said. “We would be (working on) the space and contributing to the space already.” The group has been working with Breckenridge Economic Development Corporation Executive Director David Miller and Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Yuri Huntington. The EDC has committed to helping the group financially. Miller said the EDC, which owns the land the community area is being built on, has approved for $8,500 of the cost and created a $12,000 matching grant. The EDC has also committed to putting in a rod iron fence at the site. “Counting the gate, it could be about a $40,000 project right there. City commissioners have to accept it, as well,” Miller said. Miller added the project is important to the group and the community as a whole. For the community, it gives community members and visitors alike a place to visit and rest when shopping and dining in downtown Breckenridge. For Roberts, Jackson, Newell and McKay, it creates a legacy. “That’s going to be a connection that they’re going to have with that space for the rest of their lives,” he said. “When they come back with their kids or if they just continue to live here they’re going to have that story of ‘that’s what I worked on when I was your age.’” This project, when completed, will be a part of the story of the city of Breckenridge and show another reason why Breckenridge “is the place to B.” News