Mural cover-up

Kathleen Kresa paints over the mural (original seen below) and lettering at the RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods parking lot on 9th Street on Wednesday. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson).

By Adam Madison

Triplicate staff writer

The hot-air balloon on the RE/MAX mural was permanently deflated with a coat of paint on Wednesday, after losing a July 16 appeal to the Crescent City Council to keep the mural.

The balloon, also the RE/MAX logo, was required to be removed because the city council ruled it to be off-site advertising. The lettering below the balloon was also removed.

"It's going to be missed, but we are going to put something nice up there," said Rose Peasley, co-owner of RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods. "We are looking for public input," for other ideas for the mural, located on 9th Street.

"It's sad, but it is what it is," Casie Walthers-Eaddy, co-owner of RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods, said about the city council's decision to have the balloon removed.

"A mural can't contain any sort of commercial message," said Will Caplinger, Crescent City planner.

"We asked if we could remove all the lettering and change the colors of the balloon," Walthers-Eaddy said about trying to appeal the council's decision.

"It's been quite the ordeal," she said regarding the events that led up to the removal of the balloon.

She said the RE/MAX balloon was ordered to be removed, but the other parts of the mural were allowed to stay.

"The geese and the rocks (could stay), everything else has to go," she said.

"This is a temporary, interim solution," Caplinger said about the removal of the balloon.

"We appreciated all the support from many community members who said they are going to miss (the mural)," Peasley said.

Peasley and Walthers-Eaddy submitted an "application for architectural review" so a committee could come out and check the compliance of the mural.

During a July 16 city council meeting, the decision was made to have the balloon removed, while leaving the other parts of the mural.

Kathleen and Charles Kresa, owners of Kresa Murals, painted the wall in March and also painted over the non-compliant balloon.

"We promised them (RE/MAX owners) an acceptable mural, so we didn't charge them," said Kathleen Kresa.

Charles Kresa said that they plan on adding to the mural, but no ideas have been set yet.

Kathleen Kresa's favorite part of the mural are the two aleutian geese in the right hand corner.

"I sat up in the middle of the night and said, ‘There's got to be geese on there'," she said.

Caplinger said the next mural will get the OK "as long as they are in compliance with the three themes (city history, sea-coast villages or redwoods)."

He noted that RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods would pay "no fee because murals are community beautification."

Peasley and Walthers-Eaddy want community input on the next mural.

Peasley said that if Crescent City locals want to provide input on what the next mural should be, they are welcome to e-mail her or go to RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods' Website to find out more details and send ideas.

Reach Adam Madison at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

To submit ideas for the next mural

•What: Submit ideas to the owners of RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods for the next mural

•When: No deadline set for idea submission.

•Where: E-mail Rose Peasley or Casie Walthers-Eaddy at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SOURCE: RE/MAX Coastal Redwoods