The Town Center Community Improvement District (Town Center CID) and Town Center Community Alliance (the Alliance) are excited to announce the installation of a new sign for Aviation Park. Designed and fabricated by the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Master Craftsman program, this sign is located in front of the park on the corner of Barrett Lakes Boulevard and Cobb Place Boulevard, adjacent to the end of the Cobb International Airport runway.
The artistic team at KSU took inspiration from flight, aviation, play and childlike fun when designing the piece. With foundations engineered by Arcadis and installation by Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc., the 19-foot-wide stainless-steel sign displays the name of the park and features paper airplane-like structures with some as tall as 10 feet.
“The Aviation Park project was a great collaboration between the Master Craftsman Program and the Alliance for many reasons. It aligned perfectly with our goal of creative placemaking within the community and allowed the students who worked on the project to see the tangible results from these efforts. It allowed us to further interact with the Kennesaw area that we are a part of by bringing student-built artwork to the public. These types of high-impact practices benefit everyone involved and allows us a greater investment into our community,” says Page Burch, Sculpture Lecturer and Master Craftsman Program Coordinator.
Aviation Park, which opened in November 2017, features an open space for airplane viewing, a playground area, Zagster bike station, parking and restrooms.
“One of the Alliance’s primary goals is to enhance creative placemaking in the Town Center community,” says Tracy Rathbone Styf, executive director of the Town Center CID. “The Alliance acts as a tool by which the Town Center CID can enrich the Town Center area in an even more impactful way than either could do on their own. We are thrilled to be a part of such a mutually beneficial partnership between the KSU Master Craftsman Program and the Alliance. Coming together under the collective goal of creative placemaking is the most effective way to make the Town Center community the best it can be.”
This new sign is just one of several ways the Alliance is working to enhance Aviation Park. Alongside KSU’s Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books, the Alliance unveiled plans for phase II of the park, including a plane display, several art, history, and S.T.E.M.-focused exhibits, and other innovative installations. Each exhibit will be interactive and have a curriculum available. To learn more about how you can be a part of this project, visit http://www.towncentercid.com/projects/aviation-park/.
This is not the first time the Town Center CID has collaborated with KSU and other local institutions. In 2016, the Skip Spann Connector was completed which also represented a school project for not one, but three local universities: Chattahoochee Technical College, KSU, and the then Southern Polytechnic State University (now the Marietta campus of KSU). This project’s design was the result of a competition in which the winning team had members from all three universities.
The Town Center CID and the Alliance will continue to pursue partnerships with KSU and other local universities as opportunities arise.
About the Town Center CID
Founded in 1997, the Town CID is dedicated to the betterment of the Town Center area through transportation infrastructure, safety improvements, beautification and other projects that enhance property value by increasing interest and investment in the community. The Town Center CID utilizes funds from voluntary commercial real estate taxes to implement its projects. For more information, please visit www.towncentercid.com.
About the Town Center Community Alliance
Established by the Town Center CID in 2015, the Town Center Community Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to shaping the future of Town Center by supporting and funding beautification, greenspace and other quality of life initiatives that help foster a sense of place within the district. The Alliance seeks to preserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty while creating opportunities for outdoor recreation by developing parks, trails, landscapes, artwork displays and other quality of life initiatives.
