The beleaguered birds of Tantramar: Shep is good to go, but Erin the Heron is in rough shape
When Tantramar council passed a resolution in early April instructing staff not to remove Shep the Sandpiper from its perch in Dorchester Village Square, it came with a caveat, that town engineer Jon Eppell would inspect the bird and its installation, to make sure all was safe and sound.
“I’ve had a quick look out in the field and there’s no immediate safety concerns that I see,” says Eppell, noting that he is due to update council with more information on that matter shortly.
The reason for Eppell’s inspection was that the Shep installation was done without staff knowledge or participation, by a team of local volunteers who also commissioned the sculpture, paid for it, and transported it from artist Robin Hanson’s studio near Oromocto.
Erin the Heron, on the other hand, was part of a by-the-book public art commission. Unveiled in 2016, the bronze heron was part of Heron’s Watch, by artist Christian Toth, also featuring ducks Gracie Ann and Willy. The three bronze birds sit in a garden bed at the corner of Bridge Street and Weldon in downtown Sackville, but recently the bronze heron has been boarded up.
“It looks like a significant weight was placed on the back of the bird,” says Eppell.… Continue