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DIG-IT project to beautify Airbase Road underpass
by Tim Bondy
Mountain Home News
The unseemly concrete walls of the underpass on Airbase Road were long looked at as possible target for a beautification project. That project took a major step forward last Tuesday as a city crew helped hang three colorful tree murals on the east wall of the underpass.
The effort was made possible courtesy of the city's Develop, Improve Grow -- It's Time, or DIG-IT, committee.
The underpass art project represents a long-time dream of DIG-IT chairperson Sue Gross. It's been talked about in one form or another for about the last 15 years, she said.
"It's a major thoroughfare running through the middle of town, so it should look great," Gross said as she highlighted why she took such a strong interest in the project.
Local artist Randy Miller recently crafted the first three tree murals, which are made from water-resistant wood fiber boards. Miller and Gross expect to put up at least 12 more of the trees on the underpass wall in the coming year.
"There is room for about 15 more tree murals on the opposite wall. We can keep this underpass project going for a long time," Miller said.
Individuals can show their community involvement in the underpass beautification project in various ways Gross and Miller added. A donation of $1,250 will buy a "tree" that will be placed on the underpass wall. The donor will also have their name printed on a large golden-reddish leaf displayed on a tree pot above the overpass in El Rancho Park.
Donors of $500 or more will have their name listed on a oversized green leaf that will also go on display in the community parking lot.
For $100, donors will get a project leaf that can display on their vehicle, business or home.
The first donor to the art project was Azim Shakoori, a local business owner. The second tree mural was bought by the DIG-IT committee with the third purchased through a grant program by Idaho Waste Systems.
Getting approval for the underpass tree project wasn't a simple task, according to Miller and Gross. The Idaho Department of Transportation, or IDT, regulates the types of decorations, the material and the general subject matter that could be placed on the underpass walls.
During the initial planning stages, there were concerns raised on attaching the tree murals to the underpass wall and whether they would degrade the concrete and also become a distraction to drivers. Miller and Gross took these statutory concerns into account before deciding on the theme for this project.
"Trees have been a big part of Mountain Home's history, and that theme fit in with IDT regulations. So the underpass art project decided to go with it," said Miller regarding how the theme was chosen.
Future plans include covering both walls of the underpass with the trees as people donate money to the project.
To donate to the underpass art project or for more information, call the Mountain Home Economic Development Office at 587-2173 or visit them on the web at www.mountain-home.us/economicdevelopment.