Heber Valley Life

Tag: CAMS

  • Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Mural

    Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Mural

    A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today, officially announcing a new mural on Main Street. The artwork is on the north side of the visitor center. It depicts many of the outdoor recreation opportunities available in the Heber Valley. This mural is only the first installment of many to come through the Heber City CAMS’ Art in Public Places Initiative. It is a collaborative effort between Heber City, the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Community Alliance for Main Street.

    Tom Stone, Chairperson of CAMS, opened the ceremony. He said that 18 different artists submitted to create the mural. Artist Jason Quinn was eventually chosen to paint the first mural, setting the standard for those to follow. Stone discussed an ongoing question that Heber City has been asking: “Who are we?” Heber City has a rich history, which includes agriculture, pioneers, cowboys, swiss heritage, and many other potential identities. He suggested that the question the city could be asking instead is “who do we want to become?”

    “Heber has things other cities would die for,” said Stone. “It is the coolest place to live ever.” He proposed that Heber be recognized as an outdoor sports destination and a place to gather. The mural depicts some of the many outdoor sports available here, including fishing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and others. Improving Main Street creates a ripple effect throughout the Heber Valley. “We want to make our best first impression,” Stone explained. “People want this,” he said, mentioning comments he has received about the firepit gatherings, food trucks, and Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

    The artist, Jason Quinn, a native of Heber City, was unable to attend. His comments were read, however, explaining how he desired to “generate emotion in the community.”

    Heber City Mayor Kelleen Potter then explained the purposes behind the initiative. It is hoped that creating this artwork on Main Street will bring tourism to downtown businesses, improve and enhance Main Street, and promote public gatherings. Mayor Potter then announced the next phase of the initiative, which will be a mural on the south wall of the bank building. Tom Stone will be sponsoring the mural. He will also be creating a gathering and eating space in that area. “Heber has no better cheerleader than Tom,” said Potter.

    Stone cut the ribbon for the official ceremony. The group is now turning their focus to Phase Two of the initiative.

    More information about the Community Alliance for Main Street is available at https://hebercitycams.org/.

     

  • Art Murals coming to Heber City

    Art Murals coming to Heber City

    CAMS’ Art in Public Places Initiative kicked off this week by launching the first of several huge murals in Heber City. The Community Alliance for Main Street (CAMS) partnered with Heber City and the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce to create the artwork. According to Mayor Kelleen Potter, the murals are “an investment in our downtown. Data shows investing in downtowns brings back great returns, often $3 for every dollar spent.”

    The inaugural mural will be on the north side of the Heber Valley Visitor’s Center at 475 N. Main Street. It will be visible to the approximately 15,000 cars that pass through daily. An estimated 30% of these drivers are visitors to Heber. The finished mural will be about 27 feet across and 8 ½ feet high.

    Local artist Jason Quinn was selected out of 15 muralists to complete the initial artwork. The artist spent a month planning the mural. He said it will probably take him another month to finish it. “They wanted to put something here that would identify . . . or send a message of who Heber is, and what they are aspiring to be,” said Quinn. “So as people come into town, the first thing they see is what Heber is proud of. . . . Everything they offer here [recreationally] is world-class. I think what [Heber] would like to do is point out that there are a lot of reasons to slow down and take it in.”

    The initiative will produce 6 to 12 murals, with at least one being completed per year. Tom Stone of CAMS explained, “We are going to have different locations. We have a couple private businesses that have donated their space that will put up some other murals as well. . . .We are getting top-notch, high quality people to come in and do the murals.”

    Mayor Potter added, “I think you’ll see some things from our history, from our future, from our present. It’s going to create a feeling.”

    More information about the Community Alliance for Main Street can be found at https://hebercitycams.org/

  • A Colorful Display Of Heber City Unity

    A Colorful Display Of Heber City Unity

    Heber City has officially put out its welcome mat for the summer! This past Saturday, the Community Alliance for Main Street (CAMS) organized its Heber City Annual Spring Planting. CAMS has made its mission to “restore and improve our beloved historic Main Street.” The non-profit is required to work with the significant limitations of being on a state highway, but Main Street is still the face of Heber City to visitors, and CAMS is working towards supporting local businesses and Heber’s economy by creating a unique and charming corridor.

    Business owners along Main Street have previously had the responsibility of maintaining the planter boxes along the street, but this year Heber City Municipal has taken a larger role by tilling the boxes and adding a new water-wise drip system. Also, the boxes were mostly redone to create a more uniform look, although a couple of them still retain their former unique character. The old boxes had not been officially updated since the Utah Olympics in 2002. The planters are now overseen by Head Gardener, Chris Keeling. She has been working with Dairy Keen for years and has now joined with CAMS and Heber City to prepare and oversee the Main Street boxes throughout the season.

    According to CAMS Chairperson, Tom Stone, analysis of other cities has shown that flowers, greenery, and trees on main streets are a major draw for communities. He says that along with creating a better perception of the town, beautifying Main Street helps local businesses by creating an inviting place where people will want to gather and shop. For this reason, the partnership between Heber City and CAMS is mutually beneficial with shared goals to improve the city, visually and economically.

    “I’ve been involved with this for about 15 years,” Stone explains, “and never had we had the city leadership, both City Council level, City Manager, and the Mayor be this heavily interested and putting in the time and effort to make sure we succeed together”. Stone says there is much more to come, such as murals around town and a water feature. “We need more people and volunteers,” says Stone. “Main Street is our first impression. . . . There are a few of us doing a lot, and I think if there were a lot of us doing a few things, we would have even greater things coming.”

    The local volunteers who planted flowers on Saturday created a beautiful reminder of the good that can come from community involvement and effort.

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