Copper sculpture joins Rotary Gateway Park in Prior Lake

Prior Lake American

Among the birds and frogs that move and breathe in Rotary Gateway Park in Prior Lake, there are some copper imitators.

The sculpture "Marshland" by artist Lowell Pajari and ArtScape Lighting was accepted for the park in 2017. It depicts a wetland scene with frogs, birds, turtles, branches and logs.

The original Rotary Gateway Park had two rain gardens and a fountain. The fountain was eventually replaced with a limestone art base, which is what the 50-pound "Marshland" sits on now.

"It's a real honor to have been able to put this sculpture in there," Pajari said.

Pajari, who is the artist of several sculptures within Prior Lake City Hall, submitted a proposal for the project. Though the sculpture is worth much more, the Prior Lake Rotary Club and the city offered $2,000 to the winning proposal.

Pajari and Tony Schmidt with Accentual Lighting donated the lighting and installation equipment to the city.

"I've been living here for 45 years and it's really nice to be able to contribute something on a permanent basis to our community," Pajari said.

The Prior Lake City Council held a presentation on the sculpture during their regular meeting on Feb. 5.

"The 'Marshland' sculpture here in our Gateway Park impacts those coming into our park," Prior Lake Mayor Kirt Briggs said.

In other action at the Feb. 5 meeting, the council:

• Set a public hearing for the Duluth Avenue and Trunk Highway 13 improvement project for March 5. The project was originally set to be done in 2015, but the project was pushed back. It includes widening the intersection to have dedicated left, through and right turn lanes on Duluth as well as the construction of a median and a mini roundabout. The city was awarded $710,000 from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The total cost will be nearly $2.2 million.

• Set a public hearing for the 2018 mill and overlay project for March 5. The project will consist of milling and placing overlay on more than 3.5 miles of street located around the city of Prior Lake.

• Approved the consent agenda, which included approving a payment to Chard Tiling & Excavating Inc. for the Credit River Road Reconstruction Project, approving the 2018 to 2020 collective bargaining agreement between the city and the Law Enforcement Labor Service, accepting bids for the Sand Point Beach Park Ponds maintenance and retrofit project and accepting donations and grants to the city during the fourth quarter.