photo by: Nick Krug

The street mural at the intersection of 10th and New Jersey streets is shown Tuesday, May 24, 2016, just over a month after it was painted.

Patches of a street mural at the intersection of 10th and New Jersey streets are already faded or completely bare just over a month after community members and neighbors came together in a “painting party” to beautify the East Lawrence roadway.

The traffic-zoning paint was supposed to last two years, said Alicia Kelly, who designed the mural with fellow Lawrence artist Katy Clagett. But some areas of the mural, specifically the segment in the middle of the intersection, began to fade within a week or two, she said Tuesday.

Kelly has a few theories — the paint perhaps wasn’t thick enough, or maybe the recent rainy conditions played a role — but she isn’t “stressing” over it. “We’re not going to let it deteriorate and be done with it,” she said. “That was never our plan.”

In the meantime, Kelly said there will “probably” be at least one meeting organized to address the issue. The project was originally budgeted at $3,450, most of which came from private funding. A $1,500 grant from the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission provided the rest. Kelly said she has discussed the paint problem with the city’s director of arts and culture, Porter Arneill, and plans to apply for another grant — most likely through the city — next year to keep the mural vibrant.

“I contacted them (mural leaders) just to let them know that we as the city are aware of the situation and we want to get a sense of what they want to do … but we haven’t had that meeting yet,” Arneill said, adding, “I hope we can find a solution.”

Arneill said he wasn’t sure why the mural had deteriorated so quickly, but heard one theory through a contact at the city’s Public Works Department that could offer an explanation: Perhaps the pavement, after powerwashing, wasn’t dry enough when the paint was applied.

The goal, aside from adding beauty to the intersection, was to bring neighbors and friends together for a repainting every two years, Kelly said. “It was about the day and the community and gathering and working together. If that weren’t a part of it, maybe I’d be freaking out.”

“We’ll improve,” she said, “Because that’s the only way you learn things.”