Beautifying Bottineau

BOTTINEAU Beautifying Bottineau

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By ANDREA JOHNSON

Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com ppropriately enough for a town located in the Turtle Mountains, downtown Bottineau is filled with images of turtles. Much of it is thanks to the work of an army of volunteers working with the City of Bottineau’s Beautification Committee.

Just last May, stepping stones in the shape of turtle were installed in a gravel courtyard area in the downtown on the east side of Marie’s Restaurant.

The stepping stones came from a company in Boissevain, Man. Getting them across the border at a time when U.S.-Canadian border was closed to all but essential travel took a bit of work, said Penny Nostdahl, the city auditor. Daryl Fisher at Paterson Grain agreed to pick up the turtle stepping stones in Canada and bring them across the border. Essential business travelers were permitted to cross the border this spring.

In the courtyard are planters made from concrete slabs that are marked with handprints and signatures of groups that performed at the Rockin’ the Hills concerts that were held at one time in the area. The Beautification Committee will probably call the “pocket park” “The Rockin’ Park.”

Just last May, stepping stones in the shape of turtle were installed in a gravel

Photos by Andrea Johnson/MDN

TOP: Volunteers work on painting a mural in Bottineau in June. ABOVE: Whitney Gonitzke, executive director of the Bottineau Economic Development Corporation, and Penny Nostdahl, Bottineau city auditor, pose beside planters made out of concrete slabs that were signed by groups that performed at the Rockin’ the Hills concerts.

HOMETOWN (2021) • www.MinotDailyNews.com 59

Photos by Andrea Johnson/MDN

ABOVE: Turtle-shaped stepping stones were added in a gravel courtyard in the spring. MIDDLE: Rocks painted with turtles are located near Bottineau’s Little Free Library, where people can take or leave books for free, in downtown Bottineau.

Submitted Photo

BOTTOM: This mural, one of several in the town, was painted by Erin Hanson. Pictured leaping in front of it are Bottineau girls Aanya Kumar, Jules Gonitzke and Camille Deschamp.

They were planning to add other touches to make the area more inviting, including a picnic table and signs that explain the history of Rockin’ the Hills.

More rocks painted with images of turtles have been installed downtown in front of a little free library, where children can take books or add books for free.

Tommy the Turtle, a giant statue of a turtle on a snowmobile, is installed in a park in Bottineau and has made Bottineau famous, but another turtle statute is about to be installed.

A bronze statue of a turtle, costing about $26,000, will be installed next year at the location of the former Central School in Bottineau. The statue design shows children playing on the back of the turtle. The statue will honor all of the children who attended the school over the years as well as Bottineau’s location in the Turtle Mountains.

Whitney Gonitze, executive director of the Bottineau Economic Development Corporation, applied for a grant that will help pay for the display.

There is a gazebo area outside a drugstore in downtown Bottineau that has become a gathering place for some people. Gonitzke said she has seen people have their lunch there or their morning or evening coffee with friends, “which is so cute,” she said. One day she saw people playing cards at the site.

Volunteers also help paint and make plans with businesses in downtown Bottineau for the murals that decorate the outside walls of many stores downtown.

One recent mural painted by Erin Hanson shows a bee sampling the nectar from a flower along with the inspirational saying, “What if I fall? Oh, but my Darling. What if you fly?”

The murals improve the appearance of the downtown and draw customers but, once they are installed, they also need to be maintained. Walls have to be power-washed so they are clean and ready for the work to be done, which also requires work. Business owners first have to agree to have murals located on their property. The beautification committee is working with several property owners that are interested in having murals painted.

Visitors to the town often take notice of how attractive the town has become, said Nestdahl and Gonitzke.

Members of the beautification committee, which includes Nostdahl, Gonitzke, Keith Fulsebakke, Kathy MacGhan, Stevie Backman, Kory Halvorson, Apryl Mawby, Harley Getzlaff, Trudy Marum, Kelly Beaver, and Elma Severson, meet regularly to discuss new plans to continue to make Bottineau beautiful.

At one recent meeting the town was also discussing a welcome to Bottineau sign that would be installed at the north side of the city, downtown banners and painting street light poles.

Gonitzke said Bottineau is one of several small towns in the region that are taking steps to improve the appearance of their downtowns and draw visitors.

Andrea Johnson/MDN

This is a design for a $26,000 turtle statue that will be installed at the site of the old Central School in Bottineau next year. The statue will honor all of the elementary school children who attended the school over the years as well as the turtle theme representing the Turtle Mountains.

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