Sandy Springs had painted turtles all over town a few years ago, and now Roswell has plans for its own public arts promotion: an artistic bench project funded in part by a $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant.

The Roswell City Council on Aug. 28 approved applying for the Our Town grant, to be matched by $50,000 from the city.

The municipality is working with the Roswell Arts Fund on a “functional art project” that will involve 10 organizations from the city’s Nonprofit Partnership Program. The nonprofits will work with local artists to design and create benches to be displayed in area parks, according to a staff report to council.

“The benches will not only enhance the beauty of the parks and serve as centerpieces for creative place-making, but they will also tell the story of each of the nonprofits and their impact on the Roswell community,” staff said. The Recreation, Parks, Historic and Cultural Affairs Department will be responsible for the project.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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