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Woodside council reaffirms location for equine statue on Village Hill

by Dave Boyce

Sometime in the coming months, a bronze statue of a slightly larger-than-life mare and foal will rise amid the daffodils on Village Hill in Woodside opposite the Village Pub on Woodside Road.

After a while, the back story, and there is always a back story, will be lost to time, a matter for town archives and old news stories.

For the record, then, the privately funded $100,000 sculpture has gotten lots of community support, according to Town Manager Susan George. But there are pockets of dissent as to its Village Hill location, and the Town Council generally agreed that it could have done a better job of overseeing the project since approving the design in September 2008.

The council, in a 6-0 vote on Oct. 27 with Councilwoman Carroll Ann Hodges absent, reaffirmed its earlier decision and directed staff to proceed with the installation. The fundraising effort is still about $15,500 short, Ms. George said in an e-mail.

In eloquent testimony dissenting from the Village Hill site, resident Rebecca Witter talked of a better spot: the street-level triangle of open space at the corner of Woodside and Mountain Home roads. Everyone would see the sculpture, even at night if it were lit. It could serve as the town's "silent ambassador," she said.

"I think this is a very legitimate, safe, secure and visible location for this beautiful sculpture," she said, adding that rather than abusing it, people will "see it, enjoy it, protect it and love it."

Also raising objections over the Village Hill site was the Architecture and Design Review Board. Among the complaints: the statue's potential as an attractive nuisance and as a distraction to drivers. On the same day the ASRB met to discuss it, the panel was also caught flatfooted because the Woodside Landscape Committee had moved the photographic cut-out standing in for the horses.

"Why weren't we involved sooner?" asked ASRB member Anne Kasten. "I just feel that I didn't get to do my job well."

Assistant Town Manager Kevin Bryant respectfully disagreed. As the council had directed, town staff had asked the ASRB for its opinion on the location, the ASRB had responded, and of the issues brought up, none were deal breakers, Mr. Bryant told the council.

The council had the major role, Ms. George added, because there is no formal process for accepting public art as a gift.

A process of some kind may be forthcoming. "In my opinion, I think we clearly dropped the ball," Councilman Ron Romines said. "In retrospect, we should have been more thoughtful" about the process.

Councilman Dave Burow agreed, saying in an interview that he thought the relevant committees should have been allowed more input.

Councilwoman Deborah Gordon argued that the town should not accept any more public art without a process in place, and her colleague Sue Boynton agreed.