Jeremiah Howe

Downtown Powell will soon get a fresh new look, as the city’s longstanding mural of John Wesley Powell is set to be replaced with a colorful rendition of Heart Mountain.

The artwork currently adorning the Powell bean mill along Coulter Avenue was installed in 1997, and the materials are showing their age. That’s why Powell Mayor John Wetzel called for a revamp last spring — and why Plaza Diane Community Center for the Arts put out a call for new designs in September.

The process culminated with the selection of a design from Jeremiah Howe of Powell. It depicts a Heart Mountain sunset beneath a starry night sky and above a field of barley, with text that notes the city’s 1909 founding and welcomes visitors to town.

“The vivid colors are inspired by what we are privileged to soak in over our beloved Heart Mountain skyline on any given day. Plus, the beauty and vastness of the stars in the night sky,” Howe explained in a Thursday news release from Plaza Diane announcing the selection. As for the barley, Howe said it represents “the rich agriculture fabric that blankets our land.”

The current, fading mural most prominently features the city’s namesake, explorer and geologist John Wesley Powell, but also includes a nod to local ag, with an image of a farmer irrigating crops.

In the news release, Wetzel embraced the new look.

“I am super excited to see this mural design enhance Powell’s cityscape with bright colors that represent the vibrancy of the community itself,” the mayor said. “I believe it’s an image we can be proud of for the next 20 years.”

The Park County Travel Council awarded a $32,200 grant to help pay for the new mural, with the city chipping in another $15,000. Leaders previously estimated that another $15,000 worth of support would need to be raised from the community to complete the project. Thanks to in-kind donations, including equipment from Ryno’s Rentals, the need is down to about $10,000.

The new 53-foot-high mural will be installed in the same spot on the historic bean elevator, which is owned by Treasure Valley Seed. The company has been supportive of the revamp and has offered to add nighttime lighting.

“They truly are a treasure in this partnership,” City Administrator Zack Thorington said in the release, thanking Treasure Valley for continuing to host and support the mural.

In launching the design competition in September, Plaza Diane asked for submissions that celebrated Powell’s image and cultural values.

A panel of community judges initially winnowed the field to three semifinalists: Scott Larsen of Powell (who designed the current mural), 2014 Powell High School graduate Sierra Sauskojus of Billings and Howe, who works in marketing and as a graphic designer at Northwest College. The artists were awarded $100 each and, according to the release, asked to make some adjustments to their designs before Howe’s creation was selected. He’ll receive an additional $250 cash prize for the winning design.

In explaining his colorful submission, Howe wrote that, “The future is bright and exciting for Powell!”

Installation of the new mural is planned for next spring.