SOUTH GATE : Reservoir Mural to Picture Local Youth

The 4-million-gallon reservoir scheduled to begin operation in April will have a guardian: a mural depicting the spirit of the city’s youth.

Portraits of South Gate Junior High students will dominate artist Jane Boyd’s colorful mural in a design that city officials hope will deter taggers while disguising an obtrusive eight-foot concrete pipe.

The reservoir, located north of the golf course in South Gate Park, will soon be topped with a parking lot. Boyd’s mural, 4 1/2 feet high and 22 feet in circumference, will partly cover an overflow standpipe that will tower above the asphalt near the middle of the lot.

Last year, the city invited artists to compete for an opportunity to create the first city-sponsored mural and a $5,000 prize, Mosby said. A dozen applications were submitted to the city.

Boyd, who teaches English at the junior high, has created murals throughout the area, including several in Long Beach and one that appeared in the movie “Body Double.” She plans to photograph students from her classes and feature seven or more individuals in the reservoir mural.

“I want to generate excitement through the use of real people,” she said. “I want the community to connect, and one of the best ways for the community to connect is to use people from the community.”

The face of each student will gaze toward a shining light, and the portraits will be interwoven with depictions of fabrics native to Latin America.

The $5.4-million reservoir will treat and store water from four wells that were closed in 1985 because of contamination from PCE, or perchloroethylene, a solvent used to remove grease and dirt from metal.

The overflow standpipe will help filter PCE from the water by allowing vapors to escape. Although exposure to high levels of PCE vapor can cause eye irritation, lightheadedness, confusion and other maladies, the Air Quality Management District has approved the standpipe and has not required the city to treat the air that will flow through it, said Public Works Director Jim Biery.