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New Surprise fire station to be art destination

Council likes plans for project in north Surprise

Posted 6/3/20

The new firestation being built in north Surprise will be known as much for the art in front of it as the building itself when it opens this fall at 24900 N. 163rd Ave.

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New Surprise fire station to be art destination

Council likes plans for project in north Surprise

Posted

The new firestation being built in north Surprise will be known as much for the art in front of it as the building itself when it opens this fall at 24900 N. 163rd Ave.

That’s exactly what the city’s art experts where hoping the monument-type piece in front of Fire Station 304 would do.

Margaret Lieu of the Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission said the six-foot statue of a firefighter mixed in with Surprise Fire Department history is meant to honor and recognize the dedication and service of the city’s firefighters.

“The public may want to come in and take photos of it and make it a place to visit,” Ms. Lieu said. “We want it inviting. We want to show what the fire service people do for our city.”

The statue of a random firefighter will be made of bronze and will stand on a two-foot tall platform, facing 163rd Avenue.

A 10-foot wall behind the statue is broken up in three sections and gives a history of the Surprise Fire Department with an historical photo of the department.

There is also an angled perforated metal wall of a similar size that will have written on it the phrase “Always There Always Ready” in big block letters.

Planners said the project is going to face 163rd Avenue because that road has the most car and foot traffic in the neighborhood.

“For a project like this, we really wanted to make it as visible as possible,” Ms. Lieu said.

At nights, the piece will be lit up for “dramatic effect,” Ms. Lieu said.

Jesse Westad of Logan Simpson Design, which put together the project, said that was all by design.

“We wanted something that was really going to grab people’s attention and make you want to revisit it and go back to it to see what the rest of the story is,” Mr. Westad said.

The Surprise City Council was happy with the results when it saw a presentation on the project June 2.

“It’s very eye-catching,” said District 5 Councilman David Sanders. “I think that was the goal, and I think you hit it.”

The project will be done in three phases with completion expected in December. The design phase will run from later this month through the end of September. Some construction should be able to begin as early as August.

Logan Simpson is also responsible for the new public art piece that’s going to be installed next month at the Public Works Operation Facility.

Mr. Westad was also instrumental in putting together the donated Veterans Memorial Circle in the Surprise Community Park.

The one-time cost for the Fire Station 304 project is capped at $112,800 as part of the FY2020 budget.

It was paid for as part of a 2016 city ordinance that allows 1.3% of funding for Capital Improvement Projects to be dedicated toward public art.

Surprise voters approved the station for a growing part of Surprise in November 2017 as part of three General Obligation Bond questions.

A panel made up of members of the fire department and the Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission recommended the project to the full Arts Commission, which approved it May 18.

Editor’s Note: Jason Stone can be reached at jstone@newszap.com.