Train art takes to the trestle next week

By the afternoon of Aug. 26, the train bridge overlooking Waterbury’s Main Street will have a new look.

Late last year, more than 800 Waterbury residents voted on the artwork they’d like to see on that bridge, and chose the work of Phillip Godenschwager, an artist from Randolph, who designed a series of 10 sculptures to place along the bridge.

When put together in succession, the sculpture forms an aluminum train, with each car a nod to Waterbury’s historic buildings, including Thatcher Brook Primary School and the town’s train station.

Karen Nevin of Revitalizing Waterbury asked the Waterbury Select Board Monday night for permission to close the road on the morning of Aug. 26 so Godenschwager could install his work.

The board approved the request, provided plans were confirmed by town officials before work began.

Crafting a plan to put the art on the train bridge took some doing, Nevin said.

New England Central Railroad, which owns the track and leases it to Amtrak, had a few conditions: The bridge couldn’t be punctured or drilled through, and the art needed to be easily removable, both in its entirety and in sections.

The 10 individual pieces will be clamped to the top girder of the bridge and secured to the bottom, Nevin said.

The project was completed using donations from community partners, such as Waterbury Rotary Club and the American Legion, as well as a $15,000 grant from Vermont Arts Council’s Innovating Infrastructure program, Nevin said.

The art installation should be finished by noon Aug. 26, said Barb Farr, transportation liaison for the town of Waterbury.

Nevin said people are welcome to watch the installations, but should keep their distance for safety reasons. A community celebration will be held in the coming weeks.

“As far as I’m concerned, this will be one of those things people drive to Waterbury to see,” she said. “We are a little giddy about it.”

Other board business

Also Monday night, the Waterbury Select Board:

• Acknowledged after a traffic study that all of Guptil Road needs new speed limit signs. Town Clerk Carla Lawrence said those new signs will be in addition to a flashing sign warning drivers that they’re speeding, which was discussed earlier this year and approved by the board in May. That sign could go in next year, Lawrence said.

• Reapplied for a $45,000 grant from the Vermont Community Development Program for a feasibility study for a new community center. Farr didn’t know where the center might be, or how big it could be, or how much it would cost, but she thinks a nonprofit organization could be formed to run it. It would be used by the Waterbury Recreation Department and the Waterbury Area Senior Center, among other possible groups, Farr said. The town government has applied for this grant before, but the Vermont Community Development Program ran out of money and encouraged the town to apply again.