by CAROLYN BOSTICK
Staff Writer at Cda Press | November 27, 2024 1:09 AM
POST FALLS — A roundabout at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Idaho Road is getting a new feature in 2025.
A clocktower costing about $115,000 to design, create and install was commissioned by A and A Construction to couple the practical with the artistic and add a little more interest to the roadway.
Ryan Ruffcorn of A and A said there will be a design around the base of the roundabout that honors loggers and their contributions to the growth of Post Falls.
“Since the very beginning of the Millworx project, one of our goals has been to honor the past of the Idaho Veneer Mill that stood on the site since the early 1950s,” Ruffcorn said.
The design will reuse existing structural trusses on the clock tower, highlight old mill equipment and artifacts in the details, and retain the existing hog silo as a landmark.
A and A originally hoped to install the tower before the end of the year, but the project is weather-dependent. The artwork and metal silhouettes of the loggers will be installed next spring.
Chris Anderson was approached to design and execute the vision for the tower along with Cooper Fabrication.
Anderson, based out of Colville, Wash., said his primary work involves 3D metal sculptures featuring elk, moose, grizzly bears and other animals. When he was asked to focus on an industrial theme and incorporate logging details, he initially hit a wall.
“I was kind of scratching my head until I came up with the idea of a clocktower and they liked that,” Anderson said.
Logging scenes will be incorporated through silhouettes at the base around the clock tower.
Anderson also has an artistic claim to fame marked by Guinness World Records.
He repurposed a telephone pole and recycled metal into the world's largest garden spade in Creedmoor, Texas, in 2014.
