A mural starring silhouettes of local children is set to decorate, and screen, Plumtree Park as the capstone of Bel Air's $600,000-plus investment in the green space.
A screened-in fence, which has already been installed along the park's western boundary, will be decorated with colorful silhouettes by the end of the month, Town of Bel Air planning and zoning director Kevin Small said Tuesday.
"This is kind of the last piece of the puzzle," Small said, noting the park previously got new features including playground equipment, walkways, a gazebo and lighting fixtures.
"This would be figures of kids playing that are attached to the fence," he said.
"The town went around to various events and talked to parents and said, 'Would you want your child to be a model for one of these figures?'" Small explained. "The intent was to get as many local kids as possible who use that park to be used for that [art project]."
The project is being created by Adrienne DeRan, a local artist who also designed the Hearts of Harford series of fiberglass heart sculptures. It will cost about $6,000 and is being built by Bel Air-based AllSigns, Small said.
The project is funding through an art amenities account the town has, Small said.
"We were interested in getting color and a little vibrancy into the park, and hopefully this will be able to do that," he said. "We want every park to have a little functional art."
Small noted the fence is functional because it also helps screen the park from surrounding properties.
As part of the earlier improvements to the park, the town daylighted Plumtree Run, moving the steam out of the underground culvert that had carried it through the park for 50 years and then putting in natural plantings along the restored banks. A new culvert was built on the south side of the park to carry the stream under George Street. Repairs were also made to the parking lot and basketball courts.
Town officials are also talking with the neighboring Howard Park community about making improvements along George and Thomas streets that run along the south and north sides of the park, respectively. One aspect of the plan would be installation of a bike/hike trail on the south side of Thomas, with a connection directly to the Ma & Pa Trail through the Kelly Fields complex just west of Howard Park.
An informational meeting held Feb. 4 at Town Hall to hear comments on that project drew about 20 people, Small told town commissioners and staff during a work session Tuesday afternoon.
"It went very well," he said of the session, adding that 75 to 80 percent of the comments received were positive. Small said the next step would be to design the overall project and then apply for grants to fund construction. The whole process is expected to take two to three years, he said. In the meantime, residents can keep up with the project on the town's website, http://www.belairmd.org/402/Thomas-Street-Project.
"There was not a single voice in opposition," Town Administrator Jesse Bane said. "It was good; I was impressed with the presentation."
Aegis staff member Allan Vought contributed to this story.