Ceremony held to dedicate Bartlett & West's downtown Topeka 'pocket park' - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

An interactive light show is among features of Downtown Topeka’s newest “pocket park,” sponsored by the Topeka engineering and technology services firm Bartlett & West.

Nearly 80 people gathered Monday morning near the northwest corner of S.W. 9th and S. Kansas Avenue to take part in dedication ceremonies for the park, which is one of eight being developed as part of a public-private partnership to revitalize Downtown Topeka.

“What a great day to be a Topekan, and what a great time to be downtown!” exclaimed City Councilwoman Karen Hiller, who represents District 1 — which includes downtown.

Vince Frye, president of Downtown Topeka, Inc., described the event as being “Just one more step towards the revitalized downtown we all wanted.”

Hiller, Frye and Bartlett & West CEO Keith Warta spoke during Monday’s seven-minute ceremony in the park in front of the Centre City Tower building at 825 S. Kansas Ave.

Near the end of the dedication, Warta pushed a button near the tip of a larger-than-life sculpture of a No. 2 pencil in the park to activate the interactive light show.

“The display will change every night,” Frye said.

Though Bartlett & West is based in west Topeka, Warta said: “We’re connected to the downtown. We believe it’s the heart of our community. We’re honored to be here.”

Topeka city manager Jim Colson, City Councilmembers Hiller, Brendan Jensen and Jonathan Schumm and Shawnee County Commissioner Bob Archer were among those on hand.

The Bartlett & West pocket park is the second to be dedicated as part of the downtown revitalization.

Public money has been used to finance the downtown infrastructure work while private dollars were donated to pay for the project’s “bells and whistles,” including the pocket parks. The first pocket park, sponsored by Westar Energy, was dedicated in February.

Though rain had been falling Monday morning, it let up minutes before the Bartlett & West dedication began.

Frye told those on hand, “In spite of the fact that it’s kind of cloudy and dreary, leave it to Bartlett and West to bring the sun and — you’ll see — the stars that will always light up Downtown Topeka.”

Hiller followed Frye to the microphone, exclaiming “This is just so cool!”

She said she liked that the pocket parks have been individualized by location and that their sponsors — in addition to donating money to build them — have invested themselves in their technology and design.

The Bartlett & West pocket park offers some green space, featuring artificial turf, and a stainless steel abstract art sculpture called “Solar Flair,” created by New York artist George Hart.

Warta suggested residents visit the park after dark so they can fully enjoy the light show.

Bartlett & West handed out a brochure at the dedication noting that one component of the show is a larger-than-life pencil, which has lettering on the side that reads “And the skies are not cloudy all day.”

That’s a line from the Kansas state song, “Home on the Range.”

The brochure adds: “Across the space on a pedestal centered at the front entrance to the adjacent building, rests a stainless steel, abstract sun sculpture. Comprised of 60 identical pieces, these components of the artwork are a physical representation of a unique mathematical algorithm which directly ties into the engineering and technology services provided by Bartlett and West.”

After dark, the creative use of interactive lighting can be used to enhance that space, the brochure said.

It concluded: “Visitors to the space can initiate a lighting sequence with the simple press of a button on the tip of the pencil. Once the process is engaged, a trail of light moves through the underseat of the benches and highlights the center of the sun sculpture to reflect a progression of colors that reminds us of the hues contained within an iconic Kansas sunset. This interactive feature both conjures images of our region and provides an opportunity for pedestrians to directly interact with the park.”