JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Town Council voted last Monday to allocate the entire Fiscal Year 2022 Public Art Capital Budget towards the installation and construction of the Summit Connector Chair Placemaking Project.
The project will utilize 12 donated Snow King Summit double chairs to create a public art installation on the Cache Street Corridor. The aim is to “visually connect Snow King Mountain with the downtown core.”
The summit lift, installed in 1981, was taken down in the spring of 2021 to make way for the new gondola.
The Public Art Capital budget totals $45,000. The project is estimated to cost $190,824, according to the staff report submitted by The Public Works Department.
According to the staff report, “each chair will come with a plaque that will recognize businesses who have sponsored the project and will further include a historical image and narrative telling different stories about the history of Snow King Mountain and the history of skiing in Wyoming.”
A number of local businesses have contributed to the project at three sponsorship levels, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000. Title sponsors include Snow King, Bank of Jackson Hole, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the Newton Foundation, Snow King Resort Master Association and the Town of Jackson.
Last May, Snow King held an online sale for summit chairs, after failing to find a buyer for the entire lift. The chairs available sold out in one hour. The mountain valued each chair at $1,500.
The town applied for and was denied a Wyoming Business Council Community Enhancement grant and thus moved to a public/private partnership. Jackson Hole Public Art will lead the project, with assistance by the Town Public Works staff. The timeline for completion is by fall of 2022.
