Project Uplift is back to clean-up Kellogg
(Left) Mike Pierce, Tyler Wingerson, and Becca Sewell brush away debris and remove weeds from the sidewalk near the Hill St. underpass last Monday. This clean-up was the second in a series of five that are scheduled to take place in Kellogg in the coming weeks.
Chanse Watson
KELLOGG — What once started out as the group partially responsible for the city's major facelift in the early 1990s, Project Uplift Kellogg is back with several new faces looking forward.
Inspired by a proposal from part-time resident Bruce Folsom, locals Jeff Colburn, Diannah Fields-Brown and Colleen Rosson, under the leadership of Art Spirit Gallery owner and creative placemaker Blair Williams decided to bring back the historic 501c3 to once again give Kellogg a fresh look.
Fields-Brown said the group’s first project has been a series of clean-ups which involve everything from picking up trash to sweeping and weed-eating areas that need attention.
“We are working on a process to basically revitalize Uptown Kellogg and turn it from just a space into a treasured place where folks really want to be, while also preserving our local culture,” she said.
With two clean-ups in the books, the latest being Aug. 30, Project Uplift has another three on the schedule:
•Sep 13 - Clean up Division Street underpass and freeway entrance and exit areas
•Sep 20 - Clean up Bunker Avenue
•Sep 27 - Clean up Big Creek race route
In addition to selecting blighted areas that simply need attention, the clean-up locations were also chosen based on the route that participants of the upcoming Jackass Half Marathon & 5K will be taking.
“We did plan the clean-ups with the Jackass Half Marathon in mind,” Fields-Brown said. “Because of COVID, we haven’t had many events. This is going to be a huge event in our community, and we just want to look our best!”
The Silver Valley Chamber will be presenting the second Jackass Half Marathon on Oct. 2 where participants will run on the paved Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes from Wallace to Uptown Kellogg.
The second project that Uplift is currently working on is collecting old skis from the community that will be remade into adirondack chairs by Mine Fabrication & Machine. These newly created ski-resort themed chairs will then be placed throughout town.
Old skis can be donated by dropping them off on the porch at 312 W. Mullan Ave. in Kellogg.
Through the process of creative placemaking, Fields-Brown and the rest of the volunteers of Project Uplift wish to “really preserve the culture of our community.”
For more information on Project Uplift Kellogg, visit their Facebook page @projectupliftkellogg or call 208-682-5977.