Splash of color

Late next spring, the Middlesex Community Pool will get a colorful new look, thanks to the artistic talent of several former Middlesex High School students.

A colorful mural will be added to an exterior wall, with blue wave-like designs painted in a few other pool complex locations.

Mayor Jack Mikolajcczyk and the Borough Council gave the project the go-ahead after hearing a presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 17 from Mark Kranz, chairman of the  Swim Pool Commission.

Kranz said the pool’s coming spruce up stems from a presentation given to the commission by the group of former MHS students, who are now attending various colleges to study art.

The pool opened more than five decades ago. Despite its long-standing status as a summer community gathering spot, many people don’t realize there is a pool complex located adjacent to Middlesex High School, Kranz told the mayor and council.

The murals will help give the pool an “identity,” Kranz added.

It will cost about $1,000 to power-wash the walls to prep them for painting, according to Kranz. The work is expected to commence next spring, after the students return from their spring college semester.

In subsequent comments to Inside – Middlesex, Kranz said he looks forward to the murals, which have been a “pet project” he has wanted to get started for several years.

Kiara Johansen has been the lead on the project, Kranz said, and the idea for the work began with the borough’s Culture and Arts Committee. James Johansen, Kiara’s father, is a member of the culture group.

Reminder

Subscribe to Inside – Middlesex. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It is absolutely free.

Visit Inside – Middlesex on our new Facebook page.