Photo Karen Graham.
Another mural commemorating the original rail service that was instrumental in establishing Millbrook as an important commercial hub.
In 2010, former Reeve Laverne Gibson was instrumental in the creation of a mural painted on the exterior wall of 22 King St. East.
The mural commemorates the first rail station in Millbrook and the owners of the building donated the use of the wall and funded its preparation for the art installment which was created by local artist John Leacy. Over the years the image has deteriorated due to weather in 2020, members of the Municipal Revitalization and Heritage Advisory Committee expressed concern about its future. Any sale of the current location could jeopardize its future, and development on the adjacent property could restrict its visibility. The committee decided that the creation of a digital version of the art would preserve the image and make it portable, so that it could be attached to the building in its current location and be relocated should conditions change.
A budget allocation of $7,000 to support this project was approved in the 2021 budget. After discussions with the property owners revealed concerns that mounting a mural of that size could affect the integrity of the brick exterior, the project was sidelined. An annual allocation of $500 pays for annual touch-ups to the mural and preserves the image in its current location.
The new mural will be created by the artist who created the original one, and will continue along the historical theme of the first mural connecting train travel with the journey of new community members. This new installation will be located at the original train station which was the original gateway into downtown Millbrook. Marking the entrance to the Station Trail section of MVT, the site also houses a picnic table and maps of the trail system under a roof structure. The new mural will consist of a digital image applied to a weather-resistant aluminum composite panel attached to the municipally-owned building. It also will feature a QR code directing visitors to the township website and provide historic details about the community. The project is expected to be completed by next spring. KG
