The city of Mineola plans to spend about $50,000 to put a coat of chip and seal over W. Patten St., even though the street does not need repaving.

‘“This is not where we wanted to spend our street money,” City Manager Cindy Karch said at last Thursday’s rescheduled January council meeting.

The section of street known informally as “Senior Hill” includes many years of murals painted by each senior class – an annual tradition that dates back to the 1960s or ‘70s.

A federal crackdown on non-standard street markings that was passed on to the states is responsible for cities receiving letters demanding that such markings be removed. A threat of withholding of highway funds for non-compliance was included in the letters. Mayor Jayne Lankford sent several letters asking for a variance, and said she has received no response.

The city of Overton is in a similar situation with its horseshoes painted on city streets near its high school.

The original target of the crackdown was apparently non-standard crosswalks.

Mineola Public Works Director Kyle McCoy offered three options and cost estimates. The most expensive would be to repave or overlay the street, costing $73,000. The street is not in need of repaving, he said. The next option, which costs about $50,000, would be to put on a coat of chip and seal, which the city council preferred. The third, and least expensive, option is $14,400 for a coating. It is the least durable, and likely would not last long.

Each option includes $4,000 for painting to re-stripe the street after the markings are covered.

McCoy said it will be April or May before the city can do the work, and it was suggested to wait until school is out so as to be less disruptive to traffic.

Among the concerns is that, once the street is repaved, new murals would appear the following year, painted clandestinely as they were in the tradition’s early years.

One suggestion was to dedicate the street to the school district, but the idea has some drawbacks. If the city were to abandon the street, the property would revert to the landowners on either side, and the school district would receive only half of it.

Police Chief Chuck Bittner said the school needs to find another location for the students to paint.