From InTheNews: More on Park....

Public art will soar in new park
Donations will pay for $10,000 bronze sculpture of red-tailed hawk
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun
Article Launched:05/28/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

GRAND TERRACE - You won't need to bring your binoculars for some great bird-watching at a new park planned in the city.

The majesty of a soaring red-tailed hawk set against a silhouette of Blue Mountain will be immortalized in a bronze sculpture to be placed at the park on the corner of De Berry Street and Mount Vernon Avenue.

The 5 1/&2-foot statue, set on an eight-foot pedestal, will be one of two pieces of public art in the park.

The city also will install three murals on the block walls on the park's west side.

The hawk sculpture will be created by San Bernardino artist Patrick Jewett, who has worked with several local cities on public-art projects.

Jewett completed an eight-foot marble statue of St. Bernardine at the St. Bernardine Medical Center and a bronze bust of Martin Luther King Jr. that will be placed inside the new public library under construction in Fontana.

Jewett, 39, also sculpted two bronze busts of the late Chicago Cubs second baseman Ken Hubbs, who grew up in Colton and was a standout baseball, football and basketball player.

One Hubbs statue will be placed at the Colton park that serves as the home of Ken Hubbs Memorial Little League. The other will go inside the gymnasium at Colton High School - Hubbs' alma mater.

Jewett got the inspiration for the red-tailed hawk after reading a newspaper article about an injured hawk rescued by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ranger on Blue Mountain in March.

The bird had the symptoms of rodenticide poisoning, which is acquired when a hawk eats a gopher, rat or mouse that has eaten a "Decon" type poison.

The hawk was taken to a wildlife refuge sanctuary in north San Bernardino, where it was nursed back to health. The animal was released back into the wild in the Blue Mountain area a few weeks later, after it fully recovered.

Jewett visited the sanctuary and took pictures of the "Blue Mountain" hawk.

Linda Chalk, who runs the wildlife sanctuary with her husband, Joseph, said she is excited about Jewett's sculpture.

"Anything that gets people to think about wildlife, and how important it is as a natural resource, is a great idea," said Chalk. "I think Blue Mountain is probably one of the last spots in the Inland Empire where wildlife can live the way they've always lived."

Jewett showed his images to city officials and members of the Foundation of Grand Terrace, and outlined his idea of a silhouette of the hawk flying over Blue Mountain.

Assistant City Manager Steve Berry said the $10,000 sculpture will be paid for with donations from the community and support by the Foundation of Grand Terrace.

"It's always important that people feel they are part of their parks and they have a connection to their parks," Berry said. "I really believe you have to have a buy-in. It affects the cleanliness of the park and how people treat the park."

Jewett also is involved in the mural project at the park.

He will design the main mural of an old-fashioned orange crate label with a Blue Mountain background to symbolize the city's citrus heritage.

The other two murals will feature ceramic tiles with handprints from Grand Terrace children.

Berry said the city will install the murals after the park is completed this fall.

Jewett said his goal is to get more cities to support public art projects.

"Public art is important to every community," Jewett said. "The one thing that distinguishes every great city is its art."