The residents of Airway Heights were tapping into their artistic sides Monday, Jan. 29 at the city’s community meeting kicking of its US-2 Beautification and Public Art Program.
The burgeoning program aims to address preferences for public art and landscape for new roundabouts planned along U.S. Highway 2.
The idea was sparked last year, when the city received a proposal from the Spokane Tribe of Indians for roundabout enhancements in front of their casino. Airway Heights did not have universal standards or requirements for public art at that time, according to city officials.
Ultimately, the public art program will address the aesthetic impacts of the new roundabouts planned along the US-2 corridor within city limits and provide a public evaluation process to help determine art and landscaping criteria implemented in the future.
A consulting firm specializing in transportation planning and design, civil engineering and landscape architecture, SCJ Alliance, has been hired by the city to assist with the project.
They brought in experienced public art creator Ellen Sollod, who gave meeting attendees an in-depth look at the possibilities for art installations in Airway Heights.
Sollod showed examples from Bellevue, Wash. to Portugal of art serving multiple purposes: in one city, a sculpture served double duty as a light and a bench, while in another a multitude of convex mirrors gave visitors the perfect place to take a selfie.
“It’s not about objects; it’s about engagement,” Sollod said. “We want to make this area a place to go to, not just go through.”
The best kinds of public art offer a dynamic visual experience day and night, Sollod said, and can also be an instantly recognizable symbol of the area. One such piece is the “Blue Bear” in Denver, Colo. featuring a giant native black bear peering into the windows of the local convention center.
The program is still in the early, conceptual stages, which is why project leaders are reaching out to local residents to see what they’re looking for, Bill Grimes, principal planner at the SCJ Alliance Spokane Office said.
Community members at the meeting suggested everything from huge overhead walkways to windmills to a plane display at Fairchild Air Force Base, though for now the plan is to focus on streetscapes.
The city must balance its goals, needs and requirements with those of the Washington State Department of Transportation, Grimes said.
“One of the things the roundabouts will do is slow people down a bit if the city has something compelling located there,” Public Works Director Kevin Anderson said.
Several attendees said they felt that Airway Heights was not an aesthetically appealing city and that its flat landscape contributed to this. A few expressed interest in the concept of “air,” inspired by the area’s history of aviation and tendency for high winds.
“Airway Heights doesn’t have an identity right now; we’re just a conglomeration of businesses and people who live here,” one city resident said. “It reminds me of an orphan that’s been neglected and forgotten.”
Representatives from local businesses and members of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and the Air Force Base also attended, agreeing that depictions of tribal history and culture were a high priority.
SCJ Alliance will present some recommendations to the Planning Commission and City Council at the end of February.
If you were unable to attend the workshop but have ideas and/or comments, email them to Alicia Ayars at [email protected].
Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].
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