As part of a discussion item on Monday night’s agenda, the Marshalltown City Council heard from Arts + Culture Alliance Executive Director Amber Danielson about a pair of opportunities for creative placemaking downtown in city-owned spaces — one temporary installation in a vacant lot on West Main Street and another permanent project in the alley next to 7 Rayos Liquor Store on East Main Street, with long-term plans to convert it into the area’s second pedestrian alley.

Danielson explained that the concept of creative placemaking has been in practice all over the community in recent years and sought to highlight the ongoing work to create spaces that are “fun, beautiful, full of life” and unique to Marshalltown.

“What we’ve seen when we do this work is it makes people feel more welcome, like they belong, and brings… boring spaces into new, exciting places. And it gives everyone an opportunity to have a voice and have a seat around the table,” she said. “And it gives an opportunity for us to highlight what’s special about our community — our past, our present and headed into the future.”

The goal, she said, is to weave creativity into the entire process and focus not just on public art but also creative signage, creative seating and functional art that can be used as a play space. Danielson also spoke of some examples of places that residents show off to visitors when they come to town — including the Gallery Garden and Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) alleyway — and hoped that the efforts to create more would continue in the future while engaging a wide cross-section of the community.

The former Public Art Committee has evolved into a Creative Placemaking Committee with monthly meetings held for the last few months, and discussions have revolved around coming together to support a unified vision while acknowledging that it will take time to achieve.

In the meantime, she said they have focused on “quick wins” through high-impact, high-visibility projects. Two of them they felt would align with the Arts + Culture Master Plan are the locations mentioned at the beginning of the story.

The plan, she said, is to hire two separate artists — one to create a permanent installation for the East Main alleyway, and the vacant lot would be temporary with hopes that it will either be turned into a park or redeveloped privately somewhere down the line. MCBD Executive Director Danielle Lekin then jumped into the conversation and reiterated her previous comment that the downtown area is “the living room of the community.”

Improving alleyways has been a focus, she said, and Danielson then stepped back forward to tell the council she wasn’t requesting any funding on Monday as it had already been taken care of through the ACA’s partnership with the city.

As she opened the floor up to questions, Councilor Mike Ladehoff asked about a timeline, and Danielson said the call to artists would go out later this year before a selection process and community engagement in the winter and activation of the spaces by spring.

“So hopefully, as soon as weather turns around we’d see these, and they’d be able to be used throughout next year,” Danielson said.

Councilor Melisa Fonseca asked about whether the West Main space would include the walls or the entire lot, and she responded that it would cover the entire lot with more details to come through the call to artists process. Fonseca also questioned City Administrator Carol Webb about what would happen if the lot, which is still up for sale, is sold, and Webb said the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are posted indefinitely at this point as no viable proposal has been submitted yet. That’s why the project is slated to be temporary, Webb said.

With no public comments, Mayor Joel Greer touted the accessibility of pedestrian alleyways, and Councilor Gary Thompson then asked if the committee was in a position to ask the council to vacate alleys and make them permanent pedestrian alleyways.

Public Works Director Heather Thomas clarified that as part of the downtown master plan, the alley next to 7 Rayos will be converted to a pedestrian alleyway, and no action is needed by the council. The east-west alleyway in that area will remain open to vehicles, Thomas added.

Thompson also inquired about plantings and landscaping in that area, and Danielson said conversations are currently open-ended but “the sky’s the limit.”

“So Amber, this is one of those things (where) don’t be afraid to ask us to vacate an alley because we might actually say yes,” Thompson said.

“I’m not afraid to ask much, Gary, but certainly, I think that’s a huge part of the downtown master plan,” Danielson said in reference to make the community more walkable.