New HDM mural greets travelers from the west
Marlea Leinbach works on the new mural that helped beautify the west edge of Historic Downtown Millersburg.
As the art instructor at Hiland High and Middle School, Marlea Leinbach is used to seeing plenty of different canvases and other types of surfaces on which to paint.
It’s safe to assume none of those compare to her most recent painting gig.
Leinbach was recently tabbed to paint the Historic Downtown Millersburg welcome sign on the brick wall as travelers come to HDM from the west. The wall, where the new Domino’s Pizza Shop is moving in, is an ideal spot to create a warm welcome to visitors as they travel east on Jackson Street.
The idea to paint a mural there was the brainchild of Mark Leininger, executive director of the Holmes County Economic Development Council, and Arnie Oliver, Holmes County planning commissioner.
“We had talked about that building and aspirations for development for some time,” Leininger said. “We have this highly visible west-facing façade that really needed attention, and it was underscored when the parking lot went in.”
Once the project began, it moved forward quickly.
Holley Johnson, executive director at Holmes Center for the Arts, knew Leinbach was a highly qualified artist and recommended her for the job. Leinbach quickly came on board and helped turn the idea into a reality.
“They already had an idea as to the direction they wanted to go with the mural in creating it as a gateway to Millersburg, and they asked me to add my two cents and come up with some appropriate color schemes,” Leinbach said. “I gave them a bunch of color schemes and options, and in the end, we kept all of the elements they wanted and switched around a few of the details.”
According to Leinbach, everything went very smoothly, and it took her less than one week to complete the project. She said she made a grid on an iPad and then made a corresponding grid on the brick wall, only to scale to make it much larger.
She began the painting process on Thursday, May 2 and finished five days later.
“It’s the biggest project I’ve ever done to date,” Leinbach said. “I think Holley knew when she suggested me that I like to go big.”
What made the project even more enticing was Oliver was able to secure grant funding that opened the door for the project to take place.
“Arnie likes to find grant money,” Leininger said. “He’s like a truffle pig when it comes to sniffing out grant funds. He finds them and signs them up.”
“We received a grant of $3,500 from the Ohio Arts Council,” Oliver said.
Oliver landed the grant funding, but a matching grant was required. In stepped the Millersburg Eagles, who quickly agreed to provide the necessary funds.
“We are extremely grateful to the Eagles for stepping in to help this project come to life,” Oliver said.
At the same time, the building is being completely renovated by the incoming Domino’s Pizza owner, so the area is getting a face-lift.
Leinbach’s mural was created over the top of the former painting that existed that was painted by Claude Ruston Baker, one that had faded badly over the years and was nearly nonexistent.
She said she felt kind of bad painting over that mural, but she said these things run in phases, and someday someone will paint over what she has created.
Leininger said the new 13-by-21-foot mural is an excellent addition to the HDM landscape.
“It just makes everything look sharper and more inviting as people enter town from the west,” Leininger said.
It adds another phase in the ongoing growth and beautification of Historic Downtown Millersburg.