June 28, 2007 issue
Boone Gets More Green
DBDA, Public Works and Town Council Bring Public Art, Street Garden to Downtown Boone
Story by Sam Calhoun
Call it a rejuvenation of the downtown area. Call it the start of a renaissance in Boone. Call it at an accentuation of the qualities that downtown Boone already possesses. Call it a much-needed escape from drab brick buildings and lifeless concrete. Call it whatever you want because thanks to the Downtown Boone Development Association (DBDA), the Town of Boone, Boone Public Works, the Public Art Committee and the Boone Town Council, downtown Boone is about to get two new sculptures and a street garden at the front of the Town Hall parking lot.
“This is the necessary step forward toward progression that we have all been waiting for,” said Tuesdae Rice, executive director of the DBDA. “It’s an excellent collaborative effort.”
At last Thursday’s Boone Town Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve the new project that will begin to take shape in the next two weeks, as well as promised funding for a portion of the project.
The project—which the Public Art Committee and Mary Baker, assistant director of the DBDA, has been working on for roughly 6 months—will include the creation of a new planter box, a crescent-shaped street garden and two sculptures from artist Kevin Eichner. The project will be constructed by the King Street entrance to the Town Hall parking lot.
The first phase of the project—the new planter box, two sculpture pads and the installation of the two sculptures—will be completed by the end of July and the second phase of the project—the street garden—will be completed by the end of the year.
“The street garden represents one of the first steps in the downtown area by the Town of Boone to becoming a green town,” said Baker. “We needed more green space in the downtown area. The town council has been very supportive of our efforts to incorporate green space with public art in downtown. They are living up to their program—Green Town—objectives and are initiating steps forward to help achieve this goal. It’s fantastic that they are recognizing that the downtown area needs more green space and are responding to this need.
“And we also want to thank Public Works, Blake Brown, Eric Gustaveson for working with the DBDA to create the idea for the street garden—and of course, Greg Young for collaborating with Public Works and the DBDA to create the best design idea for the area,” she continued.
Boone Public Works is paying for phase one and the town and the DBDA are paying for phase two. Phase two will cost $11,500—the DBDA is throwing in $3,000, the Town of Boone is allocating $6,500 and Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson is sharing $2,000 from her tree fund.
“It was generous of the Mayor to donate from her tree fund to help enhance the area,” said Baker.
The street garden will include two large trees—roughly $1,000 apiece—given by the mayor, four benches, a new bike rack, brick accents and new concrete, two planter boxes (one that already exists) and tree guards. The creation of the street garden will offset the Town Hall parking lot by one parking space, but plans are in the works to realign the parking spaces, resulting in one additional parking space for the lot.
“I think it’s fantastic that this project will give the Town of Boone some much needed park space at street level,” said Baker.
“The trees will soften the area up,” said Boone Town Council member Bunk Spann, “and it will make the town much more inviting.”
The Public Art Committee chose two sculptures from Moncure artist Kevin Eichner for the site. The committee liked Eichner’s use of natural colors and finishes, maintaining that they would blend in nicely with the natural surroundings.
“We reviewed several artists, several styles, and we tried to pick an introductory piece that would fit in downtown Boone, that was of high artistic integrity and that wasn’t too extreme,” said Baker, who added that members of the Public Art Committee think the piece of art will be well received because it uses rigid steel and turns it into lighter, organic shapes. “Several members of the Public Art Committee liked Eichner’s work. He has won several art competitions all across the state, as well as national and international exhibitions. Eichner also has a similar piece entered into the Rocky Mount Sculpture Competition this fall.”
Eichner—who donated the two sculptures, Amplexari (7.5-feet tall) and Ferreus Intumus (4.5-feet tall), to the town for one year—said to Baker that he is very excited to be involved in the project and that he has been trying to get more involved in Western North Carolina for quite some time. Eichner will deliver the two sculptures as well as host an opening for the one-year exhibition on the first weekend of August.
After a period of one year, a new artist’s work will be chosen for the site.
For more information, call the DBDA at 828-262-4532.
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