POULSBO — The City of Poulsbo’s Public Works Department building will be getting a new coat of paint, thanks to Cory Bennett, Josh Fisher, Poulsbo Parks & Recreation, Leadership Kitsap and a whole bunch of volunteers come May 5.

What was originally a barren, white wall on Northeast Iverson Street will begin a new life on Saturday, May 5 as volunteers flock to the site to make their mark on the wall during the Community Paint Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ChocMo will even be on the scene, grill in tow, to provide hungry painters with some chow. Central Market will also donate food for the event.

The mural’s designers, Bennett and Fisher, hope that the mural and paint day will drum up local support for the future Poulsbo Skate+Park.

The Public Works building is under consideration as a possible location for the park in the future. The mural itself will take inspiration from the responses to a Leadership Kitsap survey about what folks would like to see in a future park.

“We took that info from that survey and tried to put it into a mural,” Bennett said. “We’ve got the splash pad, the skatepark, a little dog run, these kinds of things.”

Bennett said he expects between 60 and 80 people will show up on May 5. The artist said he hopes everyone will have the chance to add their own personal touch, “whether it be like a handprint, a little abstraction, some tic-tac-toe,“ Bennett said.

“I feel like most people don’t get the opportunity to paint in general, let alone on a giant wall … I think art is about connecting with people, just being able to make something out of nothing.”

As he worked away, spraying on a base coat of paint on the building April 24, Bennett said he appreciated the connections he makes with others while creating art.

“Every time I have the opportunity to paint with someone, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, now I’ve built a bridge to a place in their heart that typically doesn’t get touched,’” Bennett said.

“I feel like Poulsbo has so many amazing artists and just amazing people. There are not that many avenues for us to show that. I feel like that’s what this park is supposed to be, a multi-generational place that all ages can get together and show what they have to offer and teach it to somebody or be taught something.”

The artists hope the mural will serve as a reminder to the Poulsbo community of the park they want to build.

“All in all, the real focus is just getting the community aware that we need to have a park built and I think the skatepark is at that forefront. I would love for that to be the main focal point of the park.” Bennett said.

“Skating is a huge thing in my life and it’s built a bridge, kind of like art has, to other people I had no idea I had something in common with. I think skateboarding is a language, it really does translate for so many people, all different generations, old people, young people.”

Many hands make for light work, Bennett said, explaining his wish that volunteers take a few moments to make their mark on the mural.

“Even if you only participate for five minutes, that’s all it takes — just a little bit of a personal touch. That way, everyone can feel like they’ve been a part of it. That’s what it’s going to take if we’re going to get this park built.”

— Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.