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Posted on: October 11, 2021

Sculpture to Honor Te Paske's Vision for Sioux Center

Men stand by work of art

A proposed sculpture for Sioux Center’s Open Space Park will reflect the idea of “Progress through Cooperation,” honoring the legacy of a man who pushed for big-picture thinking for Sioux Center.

The sculpture, designed as a tribute to the life and work of former mayor and community advocate Maurice Te Paske, is to be placed in the large park that the city purchased and annexed under his leadership. Open Space Park was purchased for future development and recreation; now it is home to the All Seasons Center and Siouxnami Waterpark, an award-winning sports complex with football, softball and baseball fields and a track, additional softball, soccer, sand volleyball, and trail amenities, the Sioux Center Early Childhood Center and preschool, and the future indoor turf facility. Many of these are joint-use facilities, operated in collaboration among the city, Sioux Center Schools, and Dordt University.

Te Paske was a strong advocate for that kind of collaboration, bringing different parties around the same table to work together for the benefit of the community as a whole. That focus is highlighted in a Sioux Center motto, “Progress through Cooperation.”

Sculptor William Lieb was commissioned to design a sculpture portraying that vision. A proposed design and plan for the sculpture was shared with the City Council on Monday for approval. The sculpture will feature a shining diamond-shaped top piece, perched on top of three darker-colored tall pylons, which are angled in toward each other as they stretch toward the top piece. The top piece is designed to move slightly in the wind, showing the movement of the process.

“Progress is not completed. It is in process heading toward completion,” Lieb said at viewing of the sculpture model. “The three pylons represent the players in the game of planning, holding up the element of common good. It shows the cooperation among them.”

“It speaks well to the legacy of Maurice Te Paske. Cooperation is not yet complete. It’s an ongoing thing. This is an ongoing challenge,” Mayor David Krahling said.

The sculpture will be made of weathering steel on the bottom and stainless steel or aluminum for the top. The sculpture is to be placed near the corner of 7th Ave. SE and the park road that leads to the baseball and softball fields, near sidewalks. It is also near the joint use Te Paske Theatre, located inside the Sioux Center Middle School building, which was also named in Te Paske's honor.

Installation of the sculpture is set for spring of 2022. Willis Alberda, of Sioux Center, is coordinating the efforts and the funding for the sculpture, which will come from several groups, including the Sioux Center joint use committee, Sioux Center Municipal Utilities, and energy partner Missouri River Energy Services.

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