A permanent, bronze sculpture of a sailboat will soon replace the actual sailboat placed at the “Sailboat Plaza” that is part of the Lake Minnewaska Lakewalk at the end of Minnesota Avenue along North Lakeshore in Glenwood.

The Glenwood City Commission approved the sculpture’s location and agreed to own it and insure the sculpture once it is erected on city property.  

Glenwood and Beyond members told commissioners last week that the sculpture has been commissioned and would be donated to the city and should be in place by next summer.  The cost, which will be paid by Glenwood and Beyond, is estimated at $39,000 for the sculpture with some added expenses to prepare the site, it was stated.

Kari Nelson, a member of Glenwood and Beyond, was at last week’s city commissioners’ meeting and said the more permanent sailboat sculpture was commissioned because the exiting one doesn’t withstand the elements well and the mast breaks in high winds causing both a maintenance and safety issue.  She said Glenwood and Beyond, which is a non-profit organization comprised of local volunteers dedicated to enhancing and promoting the Glenwood area, has been working on placing a sturdier and more permanent sculpture on the site for a number of years.  “It was stalled a bit when COVID hit, but we’re back in motion,” she told commissioners.

The bronze sculpture will be a life size and feature a plexiglass sail that will be designed by the sculptor and engineers to withstand the winds coming off of Lake Minnewaska, she said.  The new sailboat will not require any maintenance once it’s installed, she added.  The goal is to have the sculpture installed before Waterama in 2023.