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The Department of Public Works was busy Monday morning. Around 8:00 A.M. they removed the public sculpture, Seats of Our Heritage, by the public parking lot in the 100 block of North Ann Arbor Street.
First installed in 2011, the work has fallen prey to the elements in recent years. The Art and Culture Committee, which currently oversees its maintenance, noticed rust developing on the sculpture in 2019. After exploring options to sandblast and repaint the sculpture, they contracted with RMC Power Coating and Restoration in Manchester.
"They'll do a primer coat first, and then apply the powder paint to each individual piece, which will go in their oven so the paint can "bake" and create a hard, durable finish," explained Katherine Downie, a member of the Art and Culture Committee who is overseeing the project. "Then they'll finish off by sealing the sculpture and making sure it's more rust-proof than before," she added, noting that the company will make some slight modifications to the sculpture to help it shed water and prevent future water build-up.
Seats of Our Heritage was created by Chelsea artist, Rick DeTroyer, who repurposed old tractor seats, gears, and tools into a sculptural bench reflecting the centuries of farming around the community: from horse-drawn power to diesel power. A year after its installation, the city hosted a sculpture walk; DeTroyer temporarily loaned additional work for that endeavor.
The sculpture is slated to be reinstalled once the sculpture has been refurbished.
Overcast , with a high of 68 and low of 53 degrees. Overcast for the morning, partly cloudy for the afternoon, sunny during the evening, fog overnight.
Oops, the article says "every Wednesday".
The city hiring process doesn't pass the sniff test. The schools have issues too. This is looking systemic.
What is going on at city hall? Like the schools, we need independent investigations to reveal the facts and the truths and a review of the activities being conducted publicly and behind closed door. Impropriety seems to be real but we won’t know without an independent investigation.
Correction: “Tremblay DOES NOT know Rice. Rice simply knows of Tremblay and the incredible work he’s done in service to his country.” My husband served with him more than 10 years ago.