Butterfly Mural maintenance to be conducted due to damaged tiles.
Several tiles were damaged due to recent winter weather and record low temperatures.
Due to recent winter precipitation, two tiles from The Butterfly Mural, which serves as a reminder of the victims taken during the 2011 Joplin tornado and is located in Mercy Park, were found to be damaged by Joplin Parks and Recreation workers.
Several other pieces of the mural were removed as well.
After an inspection Thursday afternoon, Paul Whitehill with Whitehill Enterprises, who oversaw the project design and installation, concluded, “Last month’s freezing and thawing allowed moisture to seep in behind the tiles and weakened the adhesive that holds them to the wall.”
Whitehill also said, “All the tiles of the Butterfly Mural will be removed, each assessed, the wall will again be treated with a moisture barrier, then restored. The two broken tiles will need to be manufactured.” A different cap or moisture deflector is being considered for the top of the wall which also holds the Together We Create mural on the opposite side.
Patrick Tuttle, with the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau, who is also on the May 22 planning committee, says, “We are hoping the restoration can be accomplished in time for this year’s May 22, 10-year remembrance. The mural has served as part of the community’s healing process.”
