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Hopkins intersection art hopes to slow drivers
The area around 9th Avenue North and 2nd Street North in Hopkins looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. So perhaps its fitting the neighborhood's newest addition is a massive masterpiece.
HOPKINS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The area around 9th Avenue North and 2nd Street North in Hopkins looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
So perhaps it's fitting the neighborhood's newest addition is a massive masterpiece.
"It's beautiful. Just to get up and go to work every day and drive past, it's just beautiful to see," said neighbor Josh Montgomery.
Montgomery came up with the idea to paint a giant ladybug on the intersection as a way to bring his neighbors together and get drivers to reduce their speed.
He was inspired by a similar project in Washington State where he used to live, and he spent about a year getting everyone from his neighborhood association to the Hopkins City Council on board.
Aerial view of the ladybuy painted at a Hopkins intersection. (FOX 9)
"When I first went to city hall and told them I wanted to paint a ladybug in the intersection, they looked at me kind of weird. And then, there were a few unreturned phone calls," said Montgomery.
After getting a permit from the city, Montgomery and about three dozen families spent a Saturday last month turning his dream into a reality.
A local chalk artist helped with the design and outline, while everyone else filled out the enormous insect.
When it was finished, Montgomery even painted a diamond ring in the middle where he proposed to his girlfriend.
"It was a cute little way to end the day. We had a lot of family and neighbors around, so it was a lot of fun to do that," said Montgomery.
Montgomery says the ladybug intersection has become a neighborhood attraction and has gotten some motorists to slow down.
He wouldn't mind seeing asphalt art projects at other intersections around the city.
"I would definitely do it again somewhere else. A big undertaking, but well worth it," said Montgomery.