The City of Statesboro is working on finishing the growth of an extremely large, vibrantly colorful flower art trail which they hope all citizens can enjoy this year.
And many art projects will blossom from it.
In fact, the city will be finalizing hardscape or paving elements in a flower-shaped Art Trail in downtown by the end of February according to a work session meeting held Tuesday evening, Jan. 17.
The park includes aggregate with recycled material from John Cook with Boro Recycling. In addition, the Art Trail will be partially composed of approximately six cubic yards of 100% Bulloch County recycled plastic and glass. Eventually, the city will place sculptures from regional artists within the Art Trail.
City Councilman Phil Boyum Spearheads Art Trail Project
The Art Trail will be located near the railroad tracks past the Business Innovation Group building of GS on E. Main St. As per the location, the city will be leasing the property from the railroad company.
In a telephone interview after Tuesday's planning meeting, Councilman Boyum said, “The Art Trail is my design and concept.”
“It is a xeriscaped park,” Boyum added.
In fact, for those who may not know, xeriscaping is a kind of landscaping which eliminates the use for irrigation.
Boyum, for example, mentioned this would prevent having to have somebody cut the grass every week.
He next said the location is in the sun all day long and is on top of a hill.
“For this park, that is one of the reasons we wanted to use materials like in a xeriscape,” Boyum said.
The city is using concrete, decomposed granite, and cinderblock material among other materials for the Art Trail. It is also using the product GreenRock from a local company, Boro Recycling, which was started by Jon Cook.
Jon Cook of Boro Recycling's GreenRock Product Used in Art Trail With Some Landscaping
Cook invented the method for making GreenRock which has received widespread acclaim. Boyum said, “GreenRock is 100 percent recycled material. Approximately 93 percent is plastic, and the rest of crushed glass silicon.”
Next, the Art Park may have a lot of stone or stone-esque elements, but there will be some greenery near it.
“Just outside the park, we have holly trees and box hedges,” Boyum said.
He next said they wanted to have minimal landscaping near the park.
Costs Conserved on Art Trail Thanks to Public Works
Next, The City of Statesboro conserved costs on the project by involving Public Works and not hiring outside crews.
"100% of the work has been completed by the City of Statesboro's Public Works Department," Boyum said. The divisions of the department that worked on the project were the Streets and Parks divisions.
"BORO" into the Art Trail
Next, key features of the Art Trail will not only include that it resembles a flower but that it will have a large sculpture of the letters for BORO, various colors of rock, wayfinding signs, and more of a natural color to the concrete.
According to information shared in the meeting, the city will have to find funding for the large sculpture of the letters which spell the common nickname for the City of Statesboro.
Welcome to Statesboro Postcard at the Art Trail with D.S.D.A. Sign
During a later interview, Boyum said, “There are plans at the park for a large Welcome to Statesboro postcard for selfies.”
In fact, this selfie photo-op is similar to the angel wings on the side of the GSU building downtown or similar ones which were once located at the Georgia-South Carolina Welcome Center on Highway 301. There is still a cardboard cutout of former President Jimmy Carter for selfies at the center. Also, another similar photo-op is at Visit Statesboro! in town where you can sit on a bench with a statue of famous musician Blind Willie McTell.
Next, some officials used the word kiosk several times during the recent work session to discuss one facet of the trail, and it was a bit of a misnomer.
Boyum later stated, “It is not a kiosk. It is a 5 by 10 sign that can be used to downtown advertise downtown events.”
This element has been coordinated with the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority. Councilman Boyum was able to provide clarity on the element the D.S.D.A. is adding to the trail.
“The sign (for the trail) is a place to hang vinyl banners for events,” Boyum continued.
The front side of the sign will be facing E. Main Street, and the back of it will be the aforementioned Downtown Statesboro postcard for selfies.
Boyum also said they will also have a sign there which has elements which point out where distant locales such as the North Pole are located and the mileage.
Leadership Bulloch Class of 2022 Adding Sundial Element to Art Trail, Art to be Added Later
In addition, the trail will have a permanent installation of a sundial from Leadership Bulloch Class of 2022 as well as a permanent, painted hopscotch area.
After the meeting, Boyum said, “We will have a human-based sundial at the park.”
Sculptures will eventually be rotated into the trail with the potential cooperation of the Georgia Southern University Art Department, the Averitt Center for the Arts, and other groups/individual artists. A committee may have to be formed with representation from some of these entities to select the artwork. Also, the city will have to seek funding for a stipend to the artists to lease their sculptures or might consider buying them.
“(The vision of the Art Park) was to create an outdoor exhibition space. You have a subdued background so that the focus is on the art pieces,” Boyum later said.
Boyum added after the meeting, “We wanted it to resemble an outdoor museum and at the same time put in materials to make it a low maintenance park.”
Many Positive Benefits for the Art Trail's Location With Only One Goal Unmet
There were many positive benefits for the location with only one setback.
Boyum said during the work session, “We also wanted to do a splash pad for children on the trail, but that was not allowed on leased railroad property with that close proximity to the active railroad.”
