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4.3 Connecting the Communify <br />4.3.1 fmpkment creative place-making <br />Creative place-making works with community members to bring together arts and cultrue in <br />ways that connect physical space to needs in the community. The goal of this effort would be to <br />foster broader exploration of downtown by visitors while showcasing the talent of a local artist. <br />Ellensburg should explore wolking with an organization like the nonprofit Pomegranate Center <br />based in Seattle that explores creative place-making in communities as a partnership effort. <br />Creative place-rnaking projects could be incorporated into the town center as well as create <br />physical connections between CWU and downtown Ellensburg. Today, key stakeholders are <br />working on an exciting program to connect tluough a public art program to create '?narkers" that <br />will be located in a variety of locations to explore between downtown and campus. The concept, <br />dubbed "Project Brilliance," will implement reflector art pieces from the late Dick Elliott, a <br />renowned local artist to be placed in strategic locations throughout downtown Ellensburg to <br />ultimately connect the Old Heat Plant, slated to become a visitor's center for Central Washington <br />University, with the core of downtown. Figure 1l on the following page illushates the potential <br />locations for these installations on key corners throughout the larger downtown area, <br />4.3.2 Continue partnership with Central lYashington Ilniversity to bring investment into the <br />core of downtown over tittte whether through programs or capital projects, <br />Central Washington University is a strong partner with the Ellensburg communify, and its <br />students represent a significant portion of the customef base in downtown. Over time, the <br />University and the Downtowners should seek partnershiF efforts that may bring programs or <br />even capital projects into the downtown. Some of the ideas expressed in other recommendations <br />of this report could be potential parlnership projects. <br />4.3.3 Implement bicyclefriendly streets as identiJied in prior pluns. <br />Ellensburg has worked on bicycle friendly streets and the downtown is very navigable by <br />bicycle. The community should continue to implement these important recommendations and <br />will implement new bicycle racks that have been designed in similar style to existing quality <br />downtown sheet fumifure. <br />4.3.4 Implement circulator transportation from CWU through downtown to hotels, <br />Cenhal Transit akeady operates a fxed route system in Ellensburg. Over time, the possibility of <br />a circulator that connects the local hotels through downtown and onto Central Washington's <br />campus would be an excellent way of creating a regular service for visitors to the community. <br />The potential route is shown in Figure 11 below. <br />35