A lot of local residents probably wondered how painting a street mural at the intersection of 10th and New Jersey streets would work.

Now we know. At least on the first attempt, the painting didn’t work very well. A month after the mural was painted, it is badly faded and the paint in some sections is almost completely worn off the pavement. The mural’s designer isn’t sure why the paint failed so quickly. The paint might not have been thick enough or it may have been damaged by recent rains. City officials also wonder whether the pavement, which had been power-washed, had dried sufficiently before the paint was applied.

The question now arises: How much does the city think it’s worth to replace and try to maintain this mural? The project cost an estimated $3,450. Some of the money came from private sources and $1,500 came through a grant from the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission.

The organizers of the project had envisioned the neighborhood coming together every two years to repaint the mural, not every two months. Nonetheless, they are undaunted and plan to apply for another city grant to repaint the intersection mural.

The mural was an interesting idea, but, in its current condition, it doesn’t do much to enhance the neighborhood. And unless some more durable solution is found, maintaining this mural could become an expensive proposition — perhaps for city taxpayers. In the big scheme of the city budget, the street mural isn’t a major expense, but small amounts add up. If the street mural is popular with the neighborhood or other supporters, it should be able to attract enough private funding to keep it painted, but ongoing public support for the project doesn’t seem like a good use of taxpayer money.