Grant funds artistic elements to Loop Trail

The plantings going in this week at the Matkin Trail Bridge over Highway 1 are just one component of the artistic elements being added to the Fairfield Loop Trail through a National Endowment for the Arts Grant.

Artist Judy Bales chose the ornamental grasses, evergreens and flowering crabapple trees with the assistance of Oakwood Nursery?s Terri Klein to create a desired effect with low maintenance.

Bales said the plantings should ?make a dramatic visual impact, and they?ll be interesting all year long.?

The $10,000 grant also will fund artistic enhancements to two identical trail bridges along the south loop of the trail ? one located between Mint Boulevard and the Jefferson County Health Center and the other west of the Grease Lightening Lift Station.

The 80- to 100-foot bridges have concrete decks and chain link barriers along the sides. Bales noted the ?very plain and unadorned bridges? are visible from the Highway 34 Bypass ? one year long and one through the bare winter trees.

Bales has designed steel elements that will extend from the supports and turn the bridges into ?interesting three-dimensional projects.? Her inspiration came from the functional, yet unique bolts used in three Bill Matkin-designed bridges on the Fry Trail segment of the loop trail.

Bales said the additions will be painted steel ? rather than the self-weathering steel used on other loop trail bridges ? and should add a splash of color.

Bales also is collaborating with Schaus Vorhies Manufacturing on the pieces. Volunteers will install the steel elements this spring.

The lighting installed along the Matkin Trail Bridge in late December also was a component of the arts grant. At that time, metal halide lights were replaced with more trail-user-friendly LED light ropes.

This is the third National Endowment for the Arts Grant awarded to the Jefferson County Trails Council.

In 2002, a grant funded enhancements on the BNSF Bridge near Chautauqua Park, and in 2006, a grant funded enhancements to the Cedar View Bridge over Cedar Creek.

The trails council also has been able to enhance the loop trail with two grants from the Iowa Arts Council.