Colorful project in Vandalia adds beauty to part of U.S. 40

The city of Vandalia has added some interesting artwork to the utility boxes downtown with the help of a grant and the various designs picked by residents.

The unique project was made possible by a Dayton Power and Light Foundation grant for $6,400. There were no taxpayer dollars that were spent on the art, city officials noted.

The six utility boxes are located on U.S. 40 between Ranchview Drive and the U.S. West development. It brings more color downtown, according to Communication Manager Rich Hopkins.

A committee decided to do the project to improve the look of the steel boxes and to help create a more appealing look to the downtown business corridor, according to the city’s Facebook page.

The Public Art in Vandalia Committee and the Vandalia Cultural Arts Committee settled on 12 designs that are featured after a lengthy process of going through hundreds of designs. The final designs were picked by the public at a city council open house.

The city began to discuss ways to make the downtown business corridor more appealing in 2016, according to Hopkins.

The project is part of the city’s way to bring more visual appeal to the city through art work. The city also has painted certain crosswalks along National Road and businesses will place flags outside of their store to let customers know they are open.

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