09/22/2026
🎨⚡ That utility box downtown isn't just a utility box anymore!
Meet the CF CAPS team behind it: Aspen, Mia, Logan, and Caleb spent last Fall turning an idea into reality and pitching what could be. Kim Bear, with Community Main Street had wanted to get this idea going for several years yet CFU wasn’t exactly convinced with the idea. Enter CF CAPS associates infusing their ideas, creativity and professionalism at every meeting. Later in Spring 2026, Aspen Sparks took the reins and helped transform a Cedar Falls Utilities transformer box into public art, now on display downtown thanks to local artist Jordan McNamara.
It started with research: how have other cities done this? What materials hold up? Which local companies could install it? Then came the harder part-pitching CFU, working through safety concerns, and hammering out an agreement. This spring, the pace picked up fast: a public call for artists, a design committee review, a finalized concept, and vinyl installed, all in time for a August 13th ribbon cutting.
At the ribbon cutting, CFU CEO Susan Abernathy said it best: “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Aspen and CAPS.” She called the students professional, diligent, and poised, and credited them with making the project happen.
Kim Bear (CF Community Main Street) served as a excellent client (and mentor) for Aspen as she moved through this project this past Spring. She said it best at the ribbon cutting, "Today is about art and beautification, but it's also about connection, collaboration, and community pride. It's about giving young people a voice in their community. It's about looking at familiar spaces with fresh eyes. And it's about recognizing that sometimes relatively simple ideas can have a lasting impact on how a place looks and feels."
This is exactly what CAPS is about- not a simulated project, but real research, real deadlines, and a real result the whole community can see. Mayor Danny Laudick summed it up: "Anytime we can get CAPS associates and local artists engaged in their community, that's when they get invested.”
One box down. Many more to come. 💛 Scroll to see the progression!
Cedar Falls Downtown District
