Artist wants to save the mural on the Arkansas River Levee

A Pueblo woman is doing everything she can to save a historical art piece that is in the heart of the Steel City, but experts say it needs to come down to keep the city safe.

The art piece is on the Arkansas River Levee. It’s one of the largest murals in the world.

Cynthia Ramu has contributed to the levee and preserved it for more than 20 years. She said the mural is her legacy.

“It’s the reason why I live in Colorado, it’s why I live in pueblo. I specifically came here to work on the wall,” she said.

Even though Ramu would like to see the mural stay up forever, the Pueblo Conservancy District, a flood prevention group, has other plans.

The district said it would hire a photographer to take high-definition pictures of the mural.

But Ramu said that isn’t good enough.

“It will never look the same it will be like trying to repaint a Van Gogh,” she said.

The reason the district wants to clear the levee’s canvas is because it needs repairs. Workers will have to cut 12 feet off the top of the levee and replace the concrete face.

“We need to certify the levy to FEMA standards so it can maintain its flood hazard protection for the downtown Pueblo area,” Engineer Rick Kidd said.

If it doesn’t get fixed, businesses around the Arkansas River Levee will have to get flood insurance, which can cost at least $500 a year.

As for Ramu, she understands safety comes first, but she is going to keep fighting until the art pieces on the levee are kept in its original form.

The district will start construction on a test section in November on the levee to see if it’s possible to save any part of the mural.

Repairs on the levee will cost about $13 million. Kidd said the money is coming from maintenance assessment fees from everyone in Pueblo County except nonprofits.