Elyria Community Partnership seeking some help on its mural project

ELYRIA — Residents will start to see some improvements downtown as the Elyria Community Partnership begins its mural project and it is seeking the public's help. The agency is hosting a Community Paint Day from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at 374 Broad St., where residents are encouraged to help out the muralists. "We want people to have fun and engage and learn about the projects we have coming up," said Monet Roberts, executive director of Elyria Community Partnership. "This is an opportunity for people to give back and people want to be a part of that transformation." The project has been in the works for several months for the two planned murals and landscaping in the areas of 354 and 374 Broad St. Funding through the city helped property owners repair the masonry on the buildings and make repairs to the walls, while grants from the Community Foundation of Lorain County and the Ohio Arts Council are helping with the murals. Additional money is coming from the Elyria Community Partnership budget. Several volunteers have worked on the landscaping, including the Lorain County Joint Vocational School gardening class, which helped design the landscaping; Leadership Lorain County Class of 2024, which helped implement it; and TruVCut, which helped with the installation of the heavier plants and trees. "It's very rewarding to see it all coming together," Roberts said. The Connect Ely Project is meant to revitalize the area to increase accessibility to downtown by making it a more pleasant space visually. "The artist, Stina Aleah, was open to the idea of having the community come out to paint some sections as a way to get them involved," Roberts said. Aleah will be working on the building at 374 Broad St., while artists from Snack Break Studio will take the lead at 354 Broad St. Aleah will make any necessary touch ups to the wall after the community participates. "This is just a great way to get the community excited about what we are doing," Roberts said. The Elyria Community Partnership will have a table set up the day of the event with information about the project and upcoming events. Mi Casa Sabor Latino food truck also will be there from noon to 4 p.m. "Just come out and have some fun, grab some lunch and enjoy the day," Roberts encouraged. The Community Paint Day is part of the Community Foundation's Connect to a Cause day of giving event. Anyone wanted to make a donation to Elyria Community Partnership can do so that day. Contact Christina Jolliffe at ctnews@chroniclet.com.