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Friends of Bass River proposes bronze crab and herring sculptures for two Yarmouth bridge replacements
Summary
Friends of Bass River presented plans to replace two undersized culverts with bridges and to install bronze public-art pieces — a blue crab at Crab Creek and a herring group at Weir Road — tying art to a habitat-restoration project and a year-long construction schedule for the first site.
Rick Bishop, executive director of Friends of Bass River, told the Public Arts Committee the group is leading an Upper Bass River headwaters restoration that includes replacing two undersized culverts with larger bridges and adding public art to the structures.
"The Crab Creek Bridal will be replaced with a 60 foot wide bridge here, and the Weir Road Bridal will be replaced with a 24 foot wide bridge," Bishop said, describing the two structures and the sites where the committee would consider sculptural installations. He said the project also encompasses restoration work across approximately 57.2 acres in the headwaters area.
Mary Anne Agresti, who has worked on initial sketches, said the plan is to site a blue-crab bronze sculpture at Crab Creek oriented toward the boardwalk and a multi-herring sculpture at the Weir Road bridge to reflect the location’s fishing history. "We are in the process of defining the scope of the pieces, and establishing the final budget," Agresti said.
Presenters discussed scale, visibility and materials: the committee heard that the crab’s body is being sketched at roughly a 2-foot main mass so that the piece will read to drivers and point visitors toward the boardwalk. Bronze was chosen for durability and patina. The group noted the timetable for fabrication: local foundries were said to quote roughly a year for turnaround, while an out-of-state foundry quoted about 20 weeks.
The proposal also ties art to ecological improvements: widening the river opening at Crab Creek aims to reduce erosion and restore tidal flow, and proponents said the 60-foot opening is expected to improve water quality. Bishop and Agresti said Friends of Bass River will lead fundraising and, if supported, present to the Select Board in August to secure approvals and proceed toward fabrication.
