A Mosaic Restoration Fund was approved by the Levelland City Council for the creation and maintenance of mosaic art in Levelland.
During the Council’s regular meeting March 3, the group considered the item, Ordinance No. 1090.
City Manager James Fisher stated the purpose of the ordinance to create a fund utilizing Hotel Occupancy Fund dollars for the repair, restoration and, or creation of mosaics within the City of Levelland.
He added that the City of Levelland was established as the City of Mosaics by the state legislature in 2019 and the City would have to request the designation again when expiration hits in 2029.
Fisher explained that there are roughly 100 mosaics that are located in public and private areas as they serve as a beautification piece for the community, a sense of pride and a draw for tourism.
The proposed fund is to be a catalyst for matching dolls to assist public and private partners to maintain existing mosaics and encourage businesses to create a new mosaic.
Fisher credited the Levelland Chamber of Commerce and LEAP (Levelland Emerging & Active Professionals) for being instrumental and the driving force in the idea for the fund.
Kati Moody with LEAP and the Chamber provided a presentation focused on the item. Moddy stated the group (LEAP) began looking at this specific project about three years ago. That included doing their own research into how they could make the fund happen and what would be the route they would need to go if they wanted to look at improving the mosaics.
“We met with the art director at Texas Tech, and we met with several mosaic artists just to determine if this was even a feasible project for us to undertake,” explained Moody. “Right now, we have gotten to the point where we feel good about presenting you (Council) with this ordinance that would actually allocate the funding from the hotel occupancy tax funds to allow us to potentially move forward with this project.”
Moody shared that the group has identified potential mosaics to begin working on which included the Land of Soil, Oil and Education mosaic located on the wall outside of the Chamber of Commerce. The mosaic is 53-years old and is in need of repairs as there are missing tiles, damaged areas and concrete work needing to be done. This mosaic was also chosen because the group working on the mosaic will have direct access to the area.
The second mosaic that Moody and her organization looked at is the Chain of Life mosaic which is the oldest mosaic in Levelland at 65-years-old. It is located at MLK Drive in Jackson Ave. Moody explained that the mosaic also has missing tiles and similar types of damages as the Land of Soil, Oil and Education mosaic.
A brochure was provided to the Council that contains a list of all the mosaics in Levelland.
“If you will note, the average age of those mosaics is between 35 and 40-year-old,” stated Moody. “The lifespan or the estimated lifespan for these mosaics is about 20 to 25 years. Almost every mosaic has outlived its lifespan,” Mayor Breann Buxkemper added that the funds would come from citizens that stay in the community.
“Obviously we won't have enough funding to do all of them at one time,” explained Buxkemper. “We will phase it in and learn as we go. We are the City of Mosaic’s and of course we want new ones, but we need to take care of what we have as well.”
Councilman Michael Stueart added his support for the restoration efforts, making the motion to approve the ordinance in its first reading.
Within the reading, the allocation of hotel occupancy tax revenue reads as follows: The City of Levelland hereby allocates up to 25% of its annual Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Revenue, as allowed under Chapter 351 of the Texas Tax Cod, for the purpose of funding mosaic restoration, preservation and creation of projects. These projects shall be aimed at promoting tourism and enhancing Levelland’s identity as the “Official City of Mosaics.” Each year, up to 15% of the HOT fund balance will be designated for mosaics, subject to approval by the Levelland City Council on an annual basis.
The group unanimously approved the item.