Spicing up the welcome into Pueblo

As soon as you drive into Pueblo, you will notice the Home of Heroes sign, but the city’s planning and development department wants to show off one of Pueblo’s qualities as people are being welcomed into the city.

“Pueblo is an artistic city, so we are just sharing our artistic ability with local citizens and artists around the community and around the state that this is a gateway into our city,” landscape architect Bill Zwick said.

His department, with the help of local artists, wants to build a statue to welcome people into the Steel City.

“Interested citizens wanted to make this a gateway into Pueblo to define our community and to bring people’s interest into it,” Zwick said

But a visitor said he doesn’t want an art piece to ruin what Pueblo already has.

“I like it the way it looks, the natural beauty, the trees and mountain side,” Larry Temple said.

The department said gateway art pieces like the 4th Street Bridge have already made positive impacts in Pueblo.

“I would say the pillars have increased the beauty we get to see outside, and it has been a benefit to the city overall. I would hope they get more put up,” Barry Corzine said. He owns a sandwich shop near the bridge.

The project is expected to cost more than $600,000 and will take more than five years to complete.