Alva Review-Courier -

Driving past the Alva City Hall corner at 4th and Barnes brings to mind an old religious song, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are." The song was written in 1913, but the title lends itself well to the fresh ideas the city is displaying on that corner.

An evergreen tree used to stand there. Its spreading branches also spread dripping sap on vehicles unlucky enough to park beneath it. Falling needles and pine cones littered the area, requiring cleanup of the sidewalk and parking lot.

City Business Manager Joe Don Dunham said the tree was removed so employees could safely use all the parking spaces. However, that left an empty corner and an adjacent sidewalk that was badly cracked. Some ingenuity, creativity and work transformed the space just in time for the big car show last weekend.

Bold, bright primary colors on the sidewalk catch the eye first. Student artists and athletes from Northwestern Oklahoma State University provided the labor, and the city provided the special paint designed not to get slick during rain.

When asked if he gave the students design ideas, Dunham was aghast, protesting a lack of artistic talent. He did, however, suggest a stained glass theme that would work with the cracks. The sidewalk is painted in contrasting rectangles with diagonal and angular white lines that do suggest stained glass. It effectively covers defects, but makes the sidewalk almost too pretty to walk on.

Faced with an empty corner, the city salvaged a couple of large wooden cable reels that had been left at the sanitation transfer site. Some concrete forms hold the two burlap-topped "tables" in place. The city street department contributed the leftover burlap to cover the tables and the ground around the them. Potted mums in fall colors are placed on top.

The corner blends well with all the colorful fall décor gracing corners and business fronts downtown. The project cost about $300 for the paint and the mums.

Watch the corner for more developments. Dunham said they wanted "something different, something new." The corner will change with the seasons and with events being held downtown. Dunham said he's already thinking up ideas for the Alva High Football Homecoming Parade Oct. 11. He thinks it would make a great spot to stand and watch the parade. He also mentioned some ideas for entertaining kids in the parking area when the downtown is closed off for events.

Dunham encourages businesses downtown to decorate for the seasons and events. He said the city is fine with their putting down some paint on the sidewalk in front of their business. He can even recommend the best type of paint for pedestrian safety.

As for his motivation, Dunham said he wants the city to be "an instigator of positivity."