New public art in Little Norway? Poulsbo eyes troll toll

Nathan Pilling, Kitsap Sun
·3 min read

POULSBO – Might a troll soon lure people to one of Poulsbo’s parks?

Poulsbo City Council members on Wednesday signed off on further exploring a plan that would see a large troll placed in a city park in connection with a regional public art project.

The troll would be built as part of the Pacific Northwest Troll Project, envisioned as a local tourist attraction and co-sponsored by the Scan Design Foundation, a group based locally in Seattle that seeks to foster Danish-American connections. The trolls would be created by Danish "recycle art activist" Thomas Dambo. A proposed troll for Poulsbo would measure 24 feet long by 16 feet wide by 12 feet high and could cost nearly $100,000, according to the city.

Poulsbo’s troll would measure 24 feet long by 16 feet wide by 12 feet high and would be similar in form to the pictured troll, according to the city.
Poulsbo’s troll would measure 24 feet long by 16 feet wide by 12 feet high and would be similar in form to the pictured troll, according to the city.

Scan Design Foundation president Fidelma McGinn told council members at their June 1 meeting that several trolls would go up in counties around Puget Sound, noting that the statues would be prefabricated in Denmark and then shipped to the Northwest and hopefully built and unveiled next summer.

“Some will be more urban settings, others will be more rural based in a way to just add an element of adventure, to encourage people to connect with nature, and by doing so, to enjoy the art and interact with it, but to become champions and stewards of our wonderful resources here in the Northwest,” McGinn said. “Essentially this notion of turning trash into treasure trolls is something that I think will enliven all of our communities to feel that they can engage in the natural environments here.”

Fish Park was initially proposed as a location for the statue, but city Parks and Recreation Director Dan Schoonmaker told council members on Wednesday that other city parks like Centennial Park, Wilderness Park and Raab Park could potentially be alternative sites. Involvement from the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes in the project would be essential to its success, he wrote in a report to council members.

Council members went on to vote 6-1 in favor of allowing city officials to consider the project further.

“I think providing some whimsy in what is a serious natural habitat is what draws in new generations, kids or people that maybe might not think that nature is exactly for them yet, but they like the idea of a scavenger hunt and traveling locally between places in our region that are fairly accessible,” council member Britt Livdahl said at the June 1 meeting.

She added: “While I understand the city has lots of needs – we absolutely do – this is time sensitive. I think it would be very shortsighted to pass it up at this point.”

Council member Gary McVey cast the lone dissenting vote, pointing to other unfunded city projects.

“There’s just a huge list of unmet needs, and I tend to be a needs and wants kind of guy for better or worse,” he said. “I believe that we should fund our needs before we fund and chase after wants.”

Said council member Connie Lord: “My concerns are the unknown costs that we might end up having. I’m not opposed to the idea, I think it’s a fantastic idea, but I’m also very concerned about we’re in an inflationary period, we’ve got ongoing unknown expenses, we always have expenses. If we can justify this cost, that’s one thing, but we also have to know what the ongoing costs will be. If there’s some way to quantify that I’d be happier."

Council member Dave Musgrove said he had been unsure about the project, noting the cost, but said he wanted to see the city explore the idea further.

“This is art but also has an economic development attribute to it,” he said. “I believe – because I’m big on economic development – I believe this is really important, drives up the value.”

Nathan Pilling is a reporter covering Bainbridge Island, North Kitsap and Washington State Ferries for the Kitsap Sun. He can be reached at 360-792-5242, nathan.pilling@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter at @KSNatePilling.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: New public art in Little Norway? Poulsbo eyes troll toll