Sweet Home is painting the town red — blue, green and burgundy too.
Downtown Sweet Home businesses are getting a fresh coat of paint in a quarter-million-dollar effort to beautify the town, bolster businesses and spur tourism.
Starting this summer, Sweet Home residents and volunteers will be putting their paint brushes to buildings along Main and Long streets from Ninth to 18th avenues, City Manager Kelcey Young said.
There will also be 10-12 new murals throughout the downtown, Young said.
A Sweet Home pictured on June 21, 2023. The city plans to add more murals in a quarter-million dollar effort to beautify the city’s downtown.
“Sweet Home is beautiful, but the downtown needs an update,” she acknowledged.
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The $250,000 price tag is mostly covered by a sponsorship with Portland-based Miller Paint. In return, the company will use Sweet Home for its promotional materials, Young said.
It won’t cost the business owners anything, Young added.
The two-phased project will take place over the course of two summers, Young said. This summer, plans are in place to pressure-wash buildings, apply base coats of paint and complete four or five murals.
The colors haven’t been officially chosen, but Miller Paint is providing a consultant. The idea is to bring in some bright colors in what she calls a “Northwest color palette” of blues, greens and burgundies, she said.
Downtown Sweet Home before work begins on repainting buildings on Main Street on June 21, 2023. Starting this July, downtown buildings will be pressure washed and repainted.
“We want to use the opportunity to celebrate Sweet Home, the beautiful area we are in,” Young said.
As for the subject of the murals, that’s still up for debate, Young said. But officials hope to convey the identity of the town, with potential subjects harking back to the city’s logging history — and maybe even a sasquatch.
The sponsorship should cover nearly all the costs, Young said. The rest will be up to volunteer work, which offers an opportunity for community members to come together, she said.
The city was able to secure the sponsorship when Public Works Director Greg Springman approached Miller Paint, he said. The company’s genesis story says it got its start after paints from the East Coast proved not durable enough to weather the Pacific Northwest moisture, he said.
Young hopes that giving the town a fresh coat of paint will invigorate tourism and bring a sense of pride for Sweet Home residents.
The project will begin in July and will be completely finished by summer 2024.
