HAYDEN — The Come Together bench program is taking on a new shape after the Hayden Arts Commission heard a presentation from Canvus last week. 

Canvus is a national company that uses recycled wind turbine propellers and turns them into city benches. 

“The Deborah Grand Bench is built from the largest part of a wind turbine blade, featuring a circular frame, thick walls, and original bolt holes from the blade's root,” Canvus said on its website gocanvusus.com. “It offers overhead protection from the elements, a spacious bench and backrest made from plastic shrink-wrap and sawdust, and a recycled aluminum base and frame.” 

The Deborah is one of a handful of design options the Arts Commission could recommend to the City Council for approval. The Faye, another Canvus bench design, has a shape reminiscent of a boat.

“I like the Faye because we have so many wooden boats on Hayden Lake,” Commissioner Stephanie Saterfiel said. 

Corporate sponsors have funded four benches in Hayden, so far. 

Each bench will have a QR code that links to the sponsor's information, plus details and history or stories about the city of Hayden. 

Canvus could also use its marketing department to reach out to other national sponsors. 

Local businesses will also have an opportunity to sponsor additional benches, or the Arts Commission could pursue funding through the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency. 

The Arts Commission has been working on the Come Together bench program for roughly a year and a half. It started with a call to local artists to submit proposals for a city bench. 

“We’re not getting many artists,” Saterfiel said. “The artists we have gotten I personally have not been too impressed with.” 

The Canvus benches can be painted in-house, or painted by a local artist, depending on what the city council decides. 

“Should we make some decisions here on what we want to move forward with based on the presentation?” Arts Commission Vice Chair Matthew Edwards said. 

The decision is put off until the commission has a written proposal from Canvus that commissioners can review before presenting to the City Council. 

“Do we have to present at the next council meeting or could we delay it and do it in January?” Commissioner Davalu Cummings said. “Is there any urgency to get it done in December?”

Saterfiel encouraged the commission to not rush the process.

"It’s Christmas, come on, don’t make us do it before Christmas," Saterfiel said. "We’re not going to be prepared in seven days.”

The Arts Commission will reconvene Jan. 3 to review more information from Canvus, and will give a presentation to the City Council with their recommendations after that meeting. 

Review Canvus bench design options on the company's website, gocanvus.com/products.