SPRING SHOWERS AND JOE MAURER. The pedestrian tunnel under 5th Ave. in Eau Claire will get one heck of a facelift once the weather is right. (Submitted rendering)

Spring has sprung, and with that comes more daylight, some spring showers, and… Joe Maurer?

It’s true: The accomplished local artist will re-emerge in the public art scene with a project that will begin to take shape later this spring. After receiving the OK from the Eau Claire City Council in February and funding approval through the North Barstow/Medical Business Improvement District (BID) at the end of March, the pedestrian tunnel under 5th Avenue near Mayo Clinic (1221 Whipple St.) will soon be adorned with its very own Maurer piece.

As shown above, one side of the tunnel will feature the Blanding's turtle – an upland turtle native to this area, Maurer said – while the other will display a beaver with a half-built dam in the background. In total, the work will span about 2,000 square feet. Using Maurer’s trademark color palette and style, the piece is entitled “Dam builders of the Chippewa.”

“The timing depends on a few things,” Maurer said of the project’s timeline. “(When the city will) redo the lights in the tunnel and when the ground thaws. The goal is to have it complete by end of August.”

For the latest on the 5th Avenue tunnel mural — and other projects by Joe Maurer — visit their website and social media account online (@joepublicart).