Tribute to the working man

COEUR d'ALENE - It's a tribute to the American worker, who Dean Haagenson said is very much underappreciated.

"You don't appreciate the electrician until the electricity goes out, and you don't appreciate the plumber until the sewer backs up," he told the city of Coeur d'Alene's General Services Committee on Monday. "Those are the people who make this country work and we need to appreciate them."

Haagenson, CEO of Contractors Northwest, Inc., is donating the $50,000 statue titled "American Worker" to the city, and wants the piece to be located in McEuen Park, which his firm is in the process of constructing.

He hired local artist Terry Lee to sculpt the bronze statue, which should be completed within the next few months.

Lee presented to the committee a "very rough draft" marquette of the piece he plans to sculpt for Haagenson, and explained the process he will use to create the bronze sculpture.

The statue will be a construction worker that stands a full 6-feet, 2-inches tall, and it will be placed on a 3-foot by 3-foot base that is anchored in concrete.

It will also include a plaque that reads: "To the farmers, loggers, miners, constructions workers and all who build America, thank you. You have made our country great and prosperous."

The statue will weigh 300 to 350 pounds, Lee said, and because it is set in concrete and reinforced with steel rods, it will be very difficult to remove.

Lee said he will send it to a welder this week, who will build the frame. Lee will begin sculpting the statue out of foam, clay and wax beginning next week.

That process, he said, should take somewhere close to two months, and then he will hire a mold maker to come to his place to make the mold so he doesn't have to risk damaging the clay and wax model in the shipping process.

Once the model is completed, Lee said it will be sent to a foundry, where the bronze will be cast. That could take anywhere from nine to 11 weeks to complete.

Steve Anthony, the city's director of recreation, told the committee the statue will be placed at McEuen, but an exact location has not been determined.

"The next step is to meet with 'Team McEuen' to find a location," he said, adding the city's Arts Commission would be consulted as well.

City Councilman Steve Adams thanked Haagenson and said he would recommend accepting the donation at the next city council meeting.

"In my opinion, this is the way public art should be done: through donations and private contributions," Adams said.

Councilwoman Amy Evans said she also supported the donation.

"I would just like to add a huge thanks to you and your generosity," she said. "I look forward to seeing this piece at McEuen."