8.0. PRSR 04-08-2015 City of
Elk
Memorandum
River
To: Parks and Recreation Commission
From: Michael Hecker,Parks and Recreation Director
Date: April 8,2015
Subject: Director's Report
This report is a monthly highlight of our Department's activities informing the Commission on
items related to collaborations, strategic planning, staff changes/ development,and park operations
Library Board Meeting
Rodney and I attended the recent Library Board Meeting. Some board members expressed concerns
with the Powered By Nature artwork and the installation on the grounds. A copy of the artwork and
approximate location are attached. The EDA made the decision as the library grounds are owned by
the EDA. Staff from Economic Development will meet with some of the board members to find a
positive resolution. They also recommended moving ahead with asphalt to replace the pavers in the
circle around the flag pole and concert to replace the pavers in front of the door front entrance.
Work has already commenced on the entrance area.
Prestigious Woodland Hills Third Addition
The city council approved the plat of Prestigious Woodland Hills 3rd on March, 16. A copy is
attached to this report. Outlot A,on the east side of the plat adjacent to the Great Northern Trail,
has been created satisfying park dedication for the entire plat. This was originally approved by City
Council on June 21,2004 after the Commission made their recommendation in 2004.
Woodland Trails Park Winter Season
The winter season at Woodland Trails Park was officially completed in mid-March. This means all
of the season signs are down and the sleds have been winterized. This winter,the volunteers only
put on 1,100 miles on the sleds for grooming purposes compared to 3,000 miles last year. Because
of the lack of snow,the volunteers were able to cut down over 230 trees,most either have Oak Wilt
or are in bad shape. Most all of the trail work in our park system is completed by volunteers—this
includes Woodland Trails and Hillside Parks.
I P U I E R F I { A
N:\Departments\Parks and Recreation\Commission\Packets\2015\04-08-15 PRC Packet\Director's Report 4-8-15.docx NATURE
"Powered By Nature":
A Public Art Installation Proposal
By Carl Zachmann
For the City of Elk River,MN
General Information
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Dimensions
Width from the tip of the tail to the front of the fan blades 84in
For scale the largest blue gear has a 26in diameter
Height from the top of the governor to the bottom of the lowest gear 61in
(Note that the lowest gear hangs below the top of the pole)
Diameter fan blade 42in
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Height of Pole
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Project Understanding
In 1805,when Zebulon Pike named the river for the herds of roaming elk that
eventually gave the city of Elk River its name,he set an important precedent for the
future caretakers of the land: the town,in its enviable area of rushing rivers and strong
trees,should never be separated from the nature from which it sprung.Throughout the
years,the accomplishments of the people of Elk River have been a testament to the
necessary and healthy connection between nature and progress.
In the very beginning,nature powered Elk River and helped it grow.Taking
advantage of the area's abundant natural resources, David Fairbault built his trading
post,bringing commerce to the area. Others noticed Elk River's unmistakable
advantages:Ard Godfrey,recognizing the potential of the river to provide power,built
his sawmill.The population grew and agriculture flourished.The hydroelectric dam was
built,literally and figuratively powering the early town.The march to modernity and
prosperity moved on.
As an artist and a scholar,I make work that is informed by the grit and creative
energy of American history. Elk River,being the dynamic place that it is,offers an
amazing opportunity for me to pay homage to the past while also inspiring the future. By
creating a site-specific piece with historical elements and brand-appropriate shapes and
colors, I believe I can do justice to the community's wish for a memorable,impactful,and
unique addition to the city's public art collection.
I want to express through my work the unbroken,almost symbiotic link between
the town and its natural surroundings,since that to me is what"powered by nature"
means.Unlike many other places,Elk River has not taken unsafe advantage of its natural
assets. It has instead treasured them and worked with them,preserving their integrity
throughout periods of great growth and advancement. My piece,with its kinetic
potential,has the exciting result of being both an intriguing static piece and a dynamic
moving statement of progress and motivation.
The history and forward-thinking energy of Elk River have greatly inspired me in
the planning of this piece. I appreciate the strong historical ties Elk River has to its past,
and it is my hope that my piece will serve as a reminder to those who view it to always
keep the connection between history,nature,and progress at the forefront of their
minds.The saying"Elk River,powered by nature"is not simply an idle reflection on
what makes Elk River special.It is a reminder of what has honestly made Elk River the
dynamic, exciting community it is today.This is what I believe,and this is what I will
convey in my public art piece.
Project Approach
The overall look and movement of my piece is reminiscent of the windmills used
on farms to pump water. I have chosen the spoke patterns,shapes,colors,and accents
for my proposed piece for very specific reasons.A pattern from a vintage coffee grinder,
found in general stores just like those that would have been in the early town of Elk
River while it was growing,plays nicely with the hardworking patterns drawn from
early American agricultural and industrial designs.The governor with its steel balls,
used by water mills and steam engines to govern and regulate their speed,gets a new
life as artistic accent in my piece.The spherical weights will rise and fall,interacting
with the wind as its speeds change.
The shape of the curved pole that the whole piece sits atop is taken from the City
of Elk River's logo and is representative of the waterpower that built the city and gave it
its name.The lines are tipped vertically.The same curve of the pole's lines is echoed in
the falling,diminishing size of the vertical gears in the piece.The tail of the piece has a
vintage design,inspired by those found on old farm windmills.
The gears in my piece are handmade,drafted from patterns found through years
of documentation and research.They will be cut from sheets of self-weathering steel
using a plasma torch before being layered and welded together in a method that mimics
the casting process of period originals.The gears will be painted and then distressed to
give them a vintage appearance before being arranged in the final composition.
The colors of the piece are important:The large dark blue gears on either side of
the piece represent the mighty Mississippi with the train of lighter blue gears
representing the Elk River as it flows into the Mississippi.The red gear is representative
of the city of Elk River on the banks at the confluence of both rivers.The last two gears
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located on opposite sides of the sculpture represent the nature that the city was built on,
around,through,and with.To one side there is a green cog,symbolizing the forest and
lumber that helped build Elk River.To the other side,a rich yellow gear serves as a
reminder that the city is not just water and woods,but also on the edge of the prairie
that helped the area's agriculture to flourish,causing Elk River to further grow into the
modern city it is today.
Some more specifics on the piece that will give insight into my methods are as
follows:
The wind sculpture will be self-furling like those found on old farms,so that the
piece will take itself out of strong winds,increasing the longevity of the piece.
The piece will use standard replaceable off-the-shelf sealed stainless steel
bearings,with all the shafting and bearing sleeves also being constructed from stainless
steel to ensure that years from now,any future maintenance will be smooth and easy.
A galvanized tail and wind veins will give the piece a vintage appearance,resist
corrosion,and contrast with the other colors,textures,and metals in the sculpture. Made
from self-weathering steel,the frame and base will take on a rusty vintage appearance
but not deteriorate as normal steel would.All painted parts,such as the gears,will be
painted with a durable automotive-type paint that is then coated with a UV resistant
clear coat to negate any color fading that could occur otherwise.I make my work to last.
Location.Installation.and Future Maintenance
Proposed Schedule
Proposal Submitted Nov. 6
Elk River City Council approves project Jan.20
Materials Feb. 1 -15
(Ordering/purchasing of steel and other parts and materials
Includes travel to and from both Minneapolis, MN and Fargo, ND)
Construction of artwork Feb. 15-Mar.31
(Includes Final drafting,cutting of gears,frame,wind vain,and tail
Construction,welding,painting,machining,and assembly)
Construction of base parts Apr. 1 -Apr.30
(Fabrication of curved pole,rebar and anchor bolt assembly)
Installation of concrete base,anchors,and rebar May 1 *
(Excavation of soil,concrete forming and pouring,
installation of rebar and anchor bolt assembly)
Concrete curing time May 2-14
Installation of sculpture May 15*
Completion June 1
Unveiling celebration July 4
*Some extra time has been allotted but the installation of the concrete and the final piece
may vary slightly depending on ground conditions and weather.
Location
After researching Elk River's vast number of parks,I spent an afternoon driving
around the community studying all possible locations.After narrowing down the choices
and after much consideration of the front flowerbed of the city's library,I selected it for
its location,varying wind speeds,and vegetation.The build's clean contemporary lines
and the sculpture's design and motion will complement each other.Set against the
building and near Orono Lake,the motion and sound of the piece will be enhanced by
the varying winds off the lake.The established blue stem prairie grasses growing
underneath it will further enhance the piece's motion. I believe this will help connect the
piece to Elk River's past: the blowing grass has a very water-like quality as it sways and
bends in the breeze.Attention will go to the movement created by the wind as a whole,
both through the grasses and through the sculpture itself.
Installation and Maintenance.
The piece is designed to need as little maintenance as possible. It is designed for
years of active use,with all wearing parts of the kinetic sculpture being easily replaced
years down the road should the need ever arise. I recommend that someone inspect the
piece once a year to ascertain that the piece and the bearings are in good working order.
The bearings are designed for years of use in industrial sites and in wet locations,
at higher rpm's than the wind can even produce through the piece. Still,it is possible
that years down the road,some bearings may need to be replaced.I made this process
easy by using standard sized replaceable off-the-shelf sealed stainless steel bearings that
run on stainless steel shafts inside stainless steel sleeves,to ensure easy and smooth
bearing replacement if necessary.The whole piece will be bolted to a cement anchor
point in the middle of the flowerbed.
Additional Information
Carl J. Zachmann, Kinetic Machine Artist Cell:(701)261-9542
941 N.Rosemary,Fergus Falls,MN 56537 cjzachmann @gmail.com I carlzachmann.com
Education
Masters of Science in Historical Archaeology Illinois State University Normal,IL December 2010
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead,MN December 2006
• Emphasis in Archaeology
• Minor in Art
Employment
Professional Full-time Artist Nationwide May 2011—Present
Assistant/Apprentice to Jeffrey Zachmann Fergus Falls,MN 2011
Awards
Featured Artist Cottonwood Art Festival Richardson,TX May 2014
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Fair on the Square Madison,WI Jul 2013
Art(MMoCA)Invitational Award
Third Place in Sculpture 49th Annual Coconut Gove Festival Coconut Grove,FL Feb 2012
One-of-a-Kind challenge Winner Exploring TOSCA Quarterly Minneapolis,MN Winter 2012
Award of Excellence Art Splash Sioux City,IA Aug 2011
Artwork
Mesabi Range Community and Technical College Eveleth,MN Apr 2014
Selected pieces at the Kaddatz Gallery Fergus Falls,MN Nov 2012—Present
Cherry Creek Mobile Art Gallery Denver Metro Area Acquired July 2012
Commissioned artwork for the Fort Worth Children's Hospital Fort Worth,TX 2012
People's State Bank Goodland,KS July 2012,Mar 2014
Mercury Werks Corporate Office Dallas,TX Mar 2012
State Wide Roofing Islip,NY Mar 2012
Numerous pieces in private collections around the world May 2011—Present
Exhibitions/Shows
American Craft Council,St.Paul St.Paul,MN Apr 10-13,2014
Cottonwood Art Festival,Featured Artist Richardson,TX Oct.2011,May 2013,May 2014,Oct 2014
Old Town Art Fair Chicago,IL Every June 2012—Present
Cherry Creek Arts Festival Denver,CO 4th of July weekend,2012,2014
MMoCA,Art Fair on the Square Madison,WI Mid.Jul,2013—Present
Scottsdale Arts Festival Scottsdale,AZ Every Mar,2012—Present
Bayou City Arts Festival Houston,TX Oct 2011 &2013
Coconut Grove Arts Festival Coconut Grove,FL Feb 2012&2013
Naples National Art Festival Naples,FL Feb 2012&2013
State Street Area Art Fair Ann Arbor,MI July 2012&2013
Main Street Arts Festival Fort Worth,TX Apr 2013
Art in the Pearl Portland,OR Sep 2013
Total Estimated Project Costs
a.Public art piece materials: $2,700
Weathering steel (7ga, 10ga, 12ga),galvanized 18ga steel,
bearings,miscellaneous steel and parts
b.Transportation costs: $700
Mileage (from Fergus Falls, MN)
Minneapolis for materials 355mi
Fargo for materials 120mi
Three trips to Elk River for instillation 925mi
1,400mi at$0.50 per mi
c.Installation costs,time and materials: $500
Concrete,rebar,anchor bolts
f. Future maintenance costs:
Replacement bearings as needed $25ea.*
e.Any other costs or charges deemed relevant by the artist:
Artist Compensation for Time and Talent $8.000
$12,000*
*Total project cost does not include cost of possible future maintenance*
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