COEUR d'ALENE - Ken Roberge is giving it away.

All he wants in return is a front row view of the $5,000 art piece he bought, "Spirit Rising." To get it, he's loaning the 8-foot statue to the city of Coeur d'Alene.

"I love Coeur d'Alene and I love art," said Roberge, not an artist himself, but a self-described art "appreciator." "And I'll be looking at it from my front door every day."

The piece will be one of several public art pieces the city will soon install.

Three other pieces valued at roughly $70,000 are slated to go up in the newly reconstructed education corridor, but Roberge's piece is on the house.

It will go up on the landscaped island on Government Way at Miller Avenue. Roberge hopes the island becomes a home for more pieces, especially donated or loaned ones.

"I want to encourage other people in the community to start putting art out in public places," he said of his motives.

The basalt tower is shaped with abstract designs by local artist Dale Young. It samples designs from Polynesian to Chinese, but like all pieces of art, it doesn't represent one thing only.

"Hopefully," Young said. "A lot of people will interpret it the way that they want."

It's not the only piece the city would get for free.

The 'Great Blue Heron,' the statue that was ripped off and then returned to its spot in front of the Olympia Restaurant in downtown Coeur d'Alene, is coming the city's way without charge. After raising money to buy it, restaurant owner Eva Itskos wants to donate it to the city since the piece is part of a revolving display and would otherwise go away if someone didn't buy it to keep it where it is.

The City Council is expected to formally accept both gifts during its meeting at 6 tonight in the Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

It will also consider issuing $70,000 in contracts to Alan Dodge, for the art piece "Intersection," CJ Rench for the piece "The Gift" and Michael Horswill for "Trilogy." The three pieces were selected by the Arts Commission to grace the roundabouts inside the recently reconstructed education corridor. The pieces are expected to be installed by early September.