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CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS –– The borough has been working on placemaking and revitalization for a few years. Cambridge Springs Borough Council member Brian Harman is part of that effort to make the borough a better place to live and work.
“I thought about a butterfly and flower sculpture in memory of my sister, Linda Reagle, who passed away on Sept. 11, 2021,” said Harmon, who spends many hours gardening and planting flowers to beautify the town.
When Harmon attended a placemaking/revitalization meeting at Riverside Golf, he was named chairman of the Beautification Committee.
“The first thing I did was call Craig Newell of Craig Newell Welding with my idea,” Harmon said. “I said flower garden and he said we could add butterflies and other things to it.”
Craig Newell Welding Inc. is a custom fabrication company located in Cambridge Springs.
The end result was unveiled Friday night during a ceremony to kick off the Riverside Music Festival. The sculpture, which is 12 feet long and about 5 feet tall, graces the entrance to the parking lot of Mercer County State Bank, 144 Venango Ave.
Mayor Randy Gorske welcomed the crowd to the unveiling of the butterfly garden and thanked those involved in the process.
One of those people was Todd Hollobaugh, branch manager of Mercer County State Bank.
“We donated a section of our property to let them install the sculpture,” Hollobaugh said, adding there was a lot of community involvement from start to finish. “I see some things going on, not just with Craig Newell Welding but with the businesses that have been involved.”
He said the process involved getting a tree removed, cleaning up the debris and pouring a cement pad for the sculpture, among other things.
“The community itself pitched in,” Hollobaugh said. “This small community comes together.”
Craig Newell and his wife, Cindy, could not attend the unveiling. Jeff Murdock, an employee of Craig Newell Welding, represented the company. He had a small part in producing the sculpture, but said several other fabricators had a huge part in the production.
“We’re excited,” Murdock said about the unveiling. “It was brought to our attention about eight months ago that it would be nice to have something like this, and then Craig, with his years and years of experience with metal working, started brainstorming with help from Brian Harmon.
“Once there was a design, many changes were made through fabrication, and the end result is our butterfly garden.”
The colorful garden is composed of five flowers, three butterflies, two caterpillars and one mushroom. There are 11 different colors. The sculpture will be illuminated at night. Cox and Kanyuck Electric LLC of Meadville provided the lighting.
The project began with the purchase of flowers, butterfly and greenery files. Through software and CNC machines, burn files were created and downloaded to the laser for cutting through the sheet metal area. At that point, Craig Newell Welding designers formed and shaped the flowers, mushroom and greenery into the butterfly garden concept, according to a press release from CREATE, a nonprofit that helped promote the project.
Completed in sheet metal, the various parts were then welded together and moved to the blast area so the entire structure could be glass-beaded for an even finish. Getting closer to the finished project, next were the essential decisions of colors and function. Each butterfly, made in layers, has a different color, with layered black veining pieces. Two-tone color effects to the flowers with detachable centers were added for a more realistic look. Once all pieces were powder coated, they went into the batch oven where the powder coat was baked on. After cooling, the butterfly garden was reassembled, according to the news release.
Although the Newells could not be present for the unveiling, Cindy Newell, vice president of the company, provided a statement.
“This was a great community project and thank you to everyone who donated time and services to this project,’ she said. “We are a great community. “
