Parkgoers enjoying the mild winter weather may have noticed some new features recently as a number of new bikes racks have appeared in popular parks.
Ten decorative bike racks have been installed at Mentor Civic Center Complex, Eleanor B. Garfield Park, Edward R. Walsh Park, Springbrook Gardens Park, Mentor Lagoons Marina, and the Wildwood Cultural Center. Three existing bike racks were also decorated by local artists as a part of the Mentor Rolls initiative and reinstalled on the grounds of Civic Center Park near the Amphitheater.
The Mentor Bike Rack Art Installation Project was funded in part by a $10,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant. The prefabricated decorative racks feature nature, music, and sports motifs. The refurbished racks display each artist’s unique vision.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring all Americans have access to the arts, whether they are in a small or large, rural or urban area,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “We are proud to support organizations such as City of Mentor that are providing opportunities for more people to experience and engage in the arts in their communities.”
The City of Mentor has long been a bike-friendly community, with a dedicated bikeway encompassing the Civic Center campus as well as dozens of miles of dedicated bike lanes and sharrows that traverse the city. Many residents favor biking to events and activities including the popular Mentor Rocks summer concert season so the additions were warmly welcomed by passersby.
“The City of Mentor is thrilled to see this long-awaited project come to fruition,” says Ante Logarusic, Mentor Community Relations Administrator, “We are a bike-friendly and arts-friendly community, and this project was the perfect intersection of those two interests.”
This initiative was also supported through matching grants from the Mentor Community Arts Commission in the amount of $7,815.49 and the Parks & Recreation Department in the amount of $5,815.48.
The Mentor Community Arts Commission supports a variety of programs, courses, and special events throughout the year to encourage the development of cultural arts in our community.