Two new murals at Aberdeen’s train station are approaching completion — an effort that has been almost two decades in the making.
The murals are being painted by Jack Pabis, a regional muralist and artist. Director of Aberdeen’s Department of Planning & Community Development Phyllis Grover said the train station was chosen for the murals after a feasibility study recommended some art to liven it up.
The station, located at 18 E. Bel Air Ave. at the inttersection of Route 40 and West Bel Air Avenue (Route 132), is served by both Amtrak and MARC trains.
Grover said the murals are meant to highlight the train station, giving it color and identifying it to those who may not know its location.
“The train station is literally hid behind a vehicular overpass,” she said. “That is a good identifier … This is a gateway to Aberdeen.”
Pabis said his deadline to finish the murals is the end of the month. He got the impression that the murals were a long time in the making, but he did not know the effort has been sustained for nearly 15 years.
While that increases the pressure on him slightly, he said city residents have approached him thankfully for his work on brightening up the station.
“I meet tons of people … everyone seems to not just appreciate it, but they really give me the feeling that this really needed something,” Pabis said. “It is really nice to have people actually come up to you a lot, and they are so thankful and nice — best part of the job.”
The project was funded with $30,000 in grant money, Grover said. Pabis, who lives in Frederick and has painted murals across the state, was chosen out of several artists who submitted work, she said.
The feasibility study was conducted by Frederick Ward and Associates nearly 15 years ago, and Bel Air’s current director of Planning and Community Development Kevin Small worked there when it was done. Small, Grover said, was instrumental in pushing for the mural.
“It was really an effort of love that was over, at least, a 15- to 20-year period of time,” Grover said. “I really owe that to Kevin.”