Mosaic honors first responders

A black, white and blue American flag made up of 286 ceramic tiles was unveiled in front of roughly 75 people Friday at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow.

The 4-foot-by-7-foot tile mosaic, which required months of work by various entities, was created to honor first responders and was installed on the east side of the courthouse next to the entrance.

The 86 white tiles, or stripes, feature colorful paintings and words expressing appreciation for law enforcement personnel. One reads, "SERVE AND PROTECT" while another features a red heart with the word "RESPECT" in white letters written in the center of the heart.

Blue tiles representing a stripe run down the center of the flag with the message, "THANK YOU" written in white letters, and three white stars displayed below the message.

"This is really special and really neat to me and it hits us right at home in our hearts," Latah County Sheriff Richie Skiles told the crowd. "I know the deputies appreciate it, too."

Donald Stanziano, who owns Wild at Art in Moscow with his wife Joan Hofmann, said first responders, their families and the general public designed the white tiles at Wild at Art, which provided the paint, brushes and other supplies at no charge to the artists.

Stanziano said Superior Floors in Moscow provided the tiles, which were funded by the Idaho Commission on the Arts.

Moscow Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jenny Ford said the chamber hosted Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Jan. 9 and announced the tiles would be provided to individuals to express their appreciation for law enforcement personnel.

"We want to show our appreciation all throughout the year and to have a public display of that located in an area that has not only quite a bit of visibility, but also home to the Latah County Sheriff's Office, I think is just a really exceptional choice," Ford said.

She said the city, county, chamber, Wild at Art, Superior Floors and Idaho Commission on the Arts collaborated to make the mosaic happen.

"Collaboration may be a word that is overused but truly not in this instance," Ford said. "Every agency stepped up in order to make this happen."

The flag installation is displayed directly above a cement bench dedicated to Crystal Hamilton, one of those lost in a shooting that also took the life of Moscow Police Department Sgt. Lee Newbill and Paul Bauer in May 2007.

Latah County Commissioner Tom Lamar said the mosaic recognizes those impacted that night as well as first responders in Moscow and Latah County.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.