TheColumbia Valley - Columbia Valley Pioneer

September 14, 2007
MOTHER EARTH—Werner Streicek carved this massive 3.5-tonne granite statue.
Mother Earth statue
proposed for Pothole Park
By Brian Geis
Pioneer Staff
Charlotte Streicek and her father
Werner off ered a bold new vision for
Pothole Park themed on sustainability
and centered around a massive, granite
statue called “Mother Earth.”
Ms. Streicek described their vision
to kick-start the Pothole Park renovation
eff ort to the District of Invermere
council at their regular monthly meeting
Tuesday night.
According to Ms. Streicek, their
goal is to raise $2 million in two years
to complete the project.
Building on existing plans for the
park, Mr. Streicek—a gold-miner, art-
ist and stoneworker from Harrison Hot
Springs, with three daughters and six
grandchildren living in the area—presented
detailed drawings which included
a white marble gate, sustainability
education center, kidney-shaped fi sh
pond, an 80-foot waterfall and Romanstyle
seating for 400.
Mother Earth, hewn from a natural
vein of solid granite, weighs 3.5 tonnes,
he said. It took 2,000 hours to complete
and would cost about $3,000 to move
to Invermere.
Ms. Streicek said she would submit
a plan and spearhead the fundraising.
“Presenting this project in a town
that can really make a diff erence is exciting,”
she said.
The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 5