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Downtown vista

New mural decorates council meeting room in FD Municipal Building

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea Fort Dodge officials and the photographer who captured the images of downtown Fort Dodge for a mural in the City Council meeting room in the Municipal Building pose with the artwork Monday night. From left are Councilman Terry Moehnke; Councilman Dean Hill; Councilman Jeffrey Halter; Councilman Neven Conrad; Rhonda Chambers, the head of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Image Committee; photographer Justin Rogers; Mayor Matt Bemrich; Councilman Andy Fritz; Councilman Kim Alstott; Councilman Dave Flattery and City Manager David Fierke.

A sweeping panorama of downtown Fort Dodge now graces the back wall of the City Council meeting room in the Municipal Building.

The mural is a series of 15 photos taken by Justin Rogers, a professional photographer who graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 2003.

A presentation during Monday’s City Council meeting served as the dedication for the artwork.

Rogers, who previously won an award in a photo contest held by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, said he expressed interest in shooting photos of the downtown skyline, but realized that the roof of UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center would be the best vantage point.

He said Rhonda Chambers, the director of aviation at Fort Dodge Regional Airport who leads the Alliance’s Image Committee, introduced him to Mike Dewerff, the president and chief executive officer of UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge. Arrangements were made for Rogers to get onto the roof of the hospital to take photos.

-Messenger photo illustration by Bill Shea A photographic mural of downtown Fort Dodge now covers part of a wall in the City Council meeting room in the Municipal Building in this wide-angle image made from multiple photos. It was dedicated during Monday’s council meeting.

Rogers said the photos that make up the mural were taken at the last light of day on July 24, 2016.

Chambers said that City Manager David Fierke and Chad Schaeffer, the city’s director of engineering, business affairs and community growth, asked her for ideas for decorating the new council meeting room which was created in what was the city’s fire truck garage on the Ninth Street side of the Municipal Building. She thought of Rogers and got his permission to use the photos.

The images captured by Rogers were printed on a sheet of vinyl that is 32 feet long and 4 feet high.

Chambers said the mural came in one piece and had to be put up like wallpaper. Chambers, her sister, Cathi Lensch, and her brother-in-law, Blaine Lensch, put it up on Jan. 28.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea Photographer Justin Rogers tells the City Council Monday how he took the photographs that now make up a mural in the council’s meeting room.

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