Coralville to add recycled wind turbine benches to Clear Creek Trail

CORALVILLE — This fall, benches made out of recycled wind turbines are coming to Coralville.

The benches, which range in width from four to eight feet, are made by slicing decommissioned wind turbine blades, then shaping them.

Coralville is getting 10 benches — two for Northridge Park and eight for the Clear Creek Greenbelt trail. The city council approved spending $34,856 to buy and ship the benches, which will arrive primed and unpainted.

Once the benches are delivered, they’ll sit in a warehouse at Iowa River Landing where they’ll be painted by local artists. Director of Parks and Recreation Sherri Proud said she hopes to have a “call for creativity” out in October for bench artwork that celebrates the Clear Creek area.

“The call for creativity will be very specific … it will be a listing of how would you tell this story … There would be room for creativity within the topic that we give (the artist),” Proud said at a Coralville City Council meeting earlier this year.

Proud said the city is in the process of finding community sponsors to help cover the $15,000 needed to have the benches painted by local artists.

Currently, there are only two benches the entire 6.4-mile length of the Clear Creek Greenbelt Trail.

“We know that it’s a barrier for some people to use the Clear Creek trail because they can’t walk or ride a bike that far,” said Proud.

The Clear Creek trail is paved and multipurpose, connecting the western part of the University of Iowa campus to the Coralville/Tiffin border. The Clear Creek area, which the trail passes through, has a variety of ecosystems, including wetlands, woodlands and restored prairie.

“(The benches) are unique and the Clear Creek Greenbelt is very, in itself, is unique so I thought it was very fitting,” said Proud.

Despite company changes, benches will be delivered

Proud said Canvus — the company that made the recycled benches and other furniture, including picnic tables, out of recycled turbine blades — contacted the city earlier this year about purchasing and installing some of its benches. The city council approved the purchase of the benches in late June.

However, the company Coralville paid for the wind turbine benches no longer exists. In August, its website was removed from the internet and all online contacts for the company were removed.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported earlier this month that Canvus is now “defunct” and a new company, Noblewins, led by former Canvus executive Brian Donahue, has acquired Canvus’ “digital assets, book of business and intellectual property.”

Despite the change, Proud said she’s been assured by a company representative that Coralville still will receive the benches, though there may be a delay.

The benches were expected to arrive in Coralville later this fall and the painted benches were to be placed on the trail in November, pending any delays.

Similar wind turbine benches and other furniture have been placed throughout the state and the country. Maquoketa has a wind turbine bench similar to the ones Coralville will receive, as well as a gaga ball pit that also is made out of wind turbine blades.

Iowa wind turbines have been used by the company in the past, though Proud said the company cannot ensure that the wind turbines used for Coralville’s benches will be from Iowa.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com