WARSAW — Warsaw officials celebrated the completion of its newest mural Friday and an official with the company that authorized it — AkzoNobel — confirmed they're considering another one in the city.

Muralist Chris Catalogna finished the mural — this one on the west side of the YMCA’s new downtown facility — in just four weeks.

"Luckily, it was super warm in October so that was awesome, but I knew I was pushing my luck if I was to go into the last week of October," Catalogna said.

The mural honors the old Madison Elementary and shows children streaming out of the old school which had been located where the new YMCA now stands.

The west-facing mural is adjacent to a new city park which is part of an overall residential development by G&G Hauling and Excavating.

Support for the mural was led by the Warsaw Public Arts Commission and other groups including the YMCA of Kosciusko County

AxoNobel, a global supplier of paints and coatings, proposed the mural as part of its initiative to add color to communities across the world.

Catalogna said while he's done numerous other murals, but this is the first that is adjacent to a public park.

During the project, he said he often chatted with children and parents who were visiting the park, which led to a better understanding of the neighborhood and the impact.

"Until you're here talking to people, you really don't know so I got a really good perspective on what this mural's going to do and the kids — who's going to be impacted," he said.

AkzoNobel’s Warsaw Site Manager, Hector Loyola, thanked Catalogna for his work.

The company has completed 3,059 community projects globally and Loyola said they were “eager to bring our passion for coloring”  to Warsaw.

YMCA CEO Jim Swanson said he appreciated the way the mural helps keep the history of Madison alive.

Paulette Davis, with the Arts Commission, thanked AkzoNobel for contacting the commission and giving it the opportunity to further expand its mission of expanding public art.

Others supporting the project included the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Warsaw, and Clearly Kosciusko.

Newanna Moore, management assistant for AkzoNobel, confirmed the company wants to do another mural in Warsaw.

“We’re hoping to do another one soon,” Moore said. “I have been talking with Suzie Light with the arts commission to see what our next options are.”

She said they’re looking at a possible location and a theme for the mural.

[caption id="attachment_101087" align="aligncenter" width="886"] Various groups on Friday celebrated the completion of the mural on the west side of the YMCA's new facility on West Fort Wayne Street. The mural was funded by AkzoNobel. Part of a new city park can be seen to the left. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW — Plans for Warsaw's newest mural will be unveiled Friday.

AkzoNobel is making it happen by partnering with Main Street Warsaw, Warsaw Public Arts
Commission and Clearly Kosciusko to create a 2,100 square-foot mural that will be adorned on the new downtown YMCA building located at 576 W. Fort Wayne St.

An unveiling of the concept is set for 3:30 p.m. with what organizers are calling a "first brush strokes" celebration.

The mural will be painted by award-winning Fort Wayne muralist Chris
Catalogna.

Completion of the artwork is anticipated by the end of October.

AkzoNobel is sponsoring the project as part of its global "Let’s Color" initiative
which has added color to people’s lives and transformed communities around the
world for over a decade.

With 3,059 community projects completed globally, AkzoNobel Warsaw Site Manager Hector Loyola said they are eager to bring their passion for coloring our community to Warsaw.

“We believe in the power of paint to uplift, inspire and enhance spaces, and we’re thrilled to partner with Main Street Warsaw, the Warsaw Public Arts Commission, Clearly Kosciusko
and muralist Chris Catalogna on this inspirational project," Loyola said in a news release issued Thursday morning

The mural honors the history of the area and depicts the transition to the future by showing students emerging from historic buildings and running onto a playground in the present.

The mural will be visible from the playground at Madison Park, which was recently constructed by the city parks department.

"We look forward to working together to create something truly special for the community,” Loyola said.

The first brushstrokes will be added to the wall Friday during a celebration attended by members of Main Street Warsaw, the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce, Kosciusko YMCA, Warsaw Public Arts Commission, officials of the City of Warsaw, AkzoNobel Site Manager Hector Loyola and AkzoNobel employee Let’s Color volunteers.

Video and photography of the event will be provided upon request. In an effort to
encourage Let’s Color, a coloring page will be available Friday and at future
events celebrating the mural.

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WARSAW — AkzoNobel announced on Thursday it plans to invest $3.7 million in its plant in Warsaw.

The move is part of a $30 million investment in powder coatings manufacturing across the U.S. in an effort to increase capacity and better serve its customers in Indiana.

The investment is expected to unlock numerous benefits, such as increased production, efficiency and expanded application opportunities that will open up new markets, the company said Thursday.

The company (pronounced Axo No-bell) is also expanding its investment in Reading, Pa., Nashville, Tenn., and Monterrey, Mexico.

The company hosted a news conference with local media and local dignitaries for the announcement and tour of its facility on Leiter Drive.

The plant in Warsaw manufactures powder that is then shipped out to customers who use it to apply surface coatings for a variety of specialized products.

The company ships out about 750,000 boxes of powder coating materials each year.

New equipment will result in more output, the company said.

The  advanced technologies are providing solutions that offer improved durability, versatility and sustainability performance when compared to traditional coatings.

The improvements are expected to broaden its customer base, with the company already supplying across industries including automotive, architectural, customer electronics and aerospace.

The company has 35,000 employees globally including 100 employees in Warsaw.

The technology is also more environmentally friendly.

"From a regulatory standpoint, it's the wave of the future, right," said Nate Norris, director of North America Supply Chain. "There's still niches for liquid, but (for) powder, we see a huge growth because of the sustainability factor, the regulatory concerns that go away with this."

Warsaw City Council President Jack Wilhite represented the city at the meeting and applauded the move.

"We appreciate all that you do," Wilhite said. "We don't take you for granted, and what we do wish you continued success and growth."

New equipment is expected to be installed this summer.

A company official said they expect to increase its number of local employees, but did not say how many.

The company currently has openings for operators with a pay rate of $20 per hour, the company said.

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