City discusses art project, block party

The June 19 Polson City Commission meeting evolved into a discussion of fine art and festivities, as officials received a briefing on plans for a solar eclipse block party and the installation of a tile mosaic at Riverside Park.

Marilyn Trosper, director of the North Lake County Public Library District, kicked off the evening with a request for a street closure on Monday, Aug. 21, when a total solar eclipse will pass over the continental United States for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Trosper said the rare astronomical event, where the moon passes between the earth and the sun, serves as an opportunity to heighten awareness about the library and raise funds for next summer’s reading program. The celebration, Trosper said, will feature a variety of activities and solar-themed snacks.

“Anything sun related,” she said.

According to a map developed by NASA, the eclipse will peak over Polson at about 11:31 a.m., with about 90 percent of the sun obscured.

Although the street closure request was pre approved by city administrators and did not require a vote in front of the commission, officials at the meeting were all for the proposal.

“Sounds like a great event,” Mayor Heather Knutson said. “I love it.”

This excitement grew as Parks Department Director Pat Nowlen and Cameron Decker, head of the Fine Art Department at Salish Kootenai College, presented plans for a community art project at Riverside Park.

Decker said he is working with Polson High School students to construct a tile mosaic adorning the exterior of the park bathrooms.

Decker said the team has nearly finalized a design that reflects the park’s place in the community.

“I’ve been going there once a week…and asking the students what they thought about the park,” he said. “We’re creating a site-specific art piece that addresses the very place that it’s in.”

Based on the theme of morning, noon and night, Decker said the three-part mosaic will begin with a sunrise and end with a sunset scene complete with fireworks.

“That came up a lot with the kids,” Decker said. “Their favorite thing about the park was probably the Fourth of July.”

Accompanying the mosaic, the city is planning to build an adjacent sitting area dedicated to former Polson Police Officer William Cleveland, who died of cancer in 2015.

Nowlen said he hopes the project will make the park more inviting and provide an area for parents to watch their kids play.

“We’re trying to bring in people towards the building,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of vandalism, which has plagued Riverside Park in the past, Nowlen said the city is considering installing security cameras or additional lighting. He added that the community nature of the project could also serve as a deterrent.

“If people buy into it they’re not so eager to destroy it,” he said.

Polson Police Chief Wade Nash noted that a number of murals and paintings have sprung up around town in recent years.

“We haven’t had the vandalism to them that I though we would actually,” Nash said.

Decker said he plans to begin assembling the mosaic in the next couple weeks, with a tentative completion date scheduled for August or September. In order to raise the $4,800 needed for supplies, Decker said he is considering having local businesses sponsor individual tiles.

Decker, an accomplished ceramicist in his own right, said he recently registered small business called Community Mosaics in the hope of expanding the projects across the Mission Valley.

The idea drew support from officials at the meeting, particularly the opportunity for business sponsorships.

“I would like to be put on the list,” Knutson said.

For more information on the Riverside mosaic project visit https://www.facebook.com/communitymosaics/ or https://polsonmosaic.wordpress.com/