Storm Drains- More Interesting Than You Think

I always thought Keyport, WA was just a small town. Turns out it’s technically a “hamlet.” Hmm, you mean a little town in old England? Well, no, not exactly. It’s right here in Kitsap County, Washington State. And, I guess a hamlet is actually a kind of very small village designation. Not technically a town but well, not nothing either. Keyport has two main streets that cross. Each about 3 blocks long. This past summer 2019 they teamed up with Clean Water Kitsap to bring in 5 artists to each paint on and around a storm grate, drain or man-hole cover to remind residents and visitors that anything that goes in these drains heads straight into our beloved Puget Sound, affecting our fragile sea life. To my delight, my orange starfish design was chosen. I was excited to paint this critter, a regular on local beaches and often seen clinging to barnacled pilings. Sadly, in the last few years, these starfish have had to fight hard against a wasting disease that nearly wiped them out. Thankfully, I understand they may be making a comeback.

The five of us artists gathered super early on a weekday morning and began mixing paint and blocking out our designs before any cars or pedestrians ventured out of their homes. We had a blast! We painted, talked with the hamleteers, ate snacks, gave tips and encouragement to our fellow painters, shmoozed with a county councilman and the clean water folks, laughed with kids and the unofficial Keyport “mayor,” a chatty elderly woman with a walker who knew everything about everything and everyone. It was a beautiful community-builder. And now, Keyport has art on the ground in just about every intersection!