With a tad of red paint and five brushes, 11 Good Shepherd art students are touching up the eastern wall of the railroad bridge that crosses Wilkinson Boulevard.

Local artist Jennifer Zingg and Franklin County youth will paint a mural depicting rolling countryside with horses and a roaring train.

Zingg says the mural will be a paint-by-numbers project. She will trace an outline of the mural and number sections by color for children and other volunteers to fill in.

The mural will be finished by spring of 2010 if work stays on schedule, Zingg said.

The project stems from casual discussions between Zingg and the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist and Convention Commission, said Robin Antenucci, director of sales and marketing.

 “I wanted to be involved with a project that would bring kids in the community together, and bring other people in the community together and give some color to downtown,” Zingg said.

Although Good Shepherd students were working on the project Monday, Zingg said painting will be open to all children and volunteers in Franklin County.

“We want people from all over Franklin County. School groups, Girl Scout and Boy Scout groups, church organizations, individuals that just want to work on it. 

“Anybody can help. They just need to coordinate with us and get on a volunteer schedule,” Zingg said.

The project began over the weekend with a base of white paint done Saturday by inmates at Franklin County Regional Jail. More inmates painted the upper portion of it red Monday.

The mural is essentially a volunteer project, Antenucci said. Zingg is donating her time and talents and Sherwin-Williams is donating the paint and equipment.

 RJ Corman Railroad Group donated the bridge wall and Parks and Recreation offered garage space on Broadway for storage. 

The tourism office covers small expenses like fees to the jail for inmate labor, Antenucci said.

Other local artists like Doris Thurber, Brad and Nicole Harrod, Carla Phillips and Jody Jaques will volunteer to help Zingg touch up the mural after the volunteers finish.

Another mural will be painted on the bridge’s wall on the other side of Wilkinson Boulevard going toward the Kentucky River. The second phase of the project will depict the river and will begin in the summer of 2010.

Zingg says the scenes will draw from Frankfort’s history. 

“These are things that may not be happening now, but are a part of Frankfort’s past,” Zingg said.

The tourism office also wanted to beautify the city for the World Equestrian Games and give downtown an attractive entrance, Antenucci said. 

The mural is a way to accomplish both goals, Antenucci said. 

“We’ve really taken that beautification concept … to go beyond just 2010 and have an effort that will continue beautifying the city.”

Other murals on the bridge walls facing Broadway are planned. Zingg hopes all the murals will be complete by 2011.

To volunteer to paint on the mural, contact Zingg at jennysart@msn.com or Antenucci at 875-8687 or rantenucci@visitfrankfort.com.