COLUMBIA, S.C. _ The city of Cayce will soon be graced with a statue of a dog. It's not any regular old statue though. It will be worth $10,000, according to the city.
The pup will be placed in Cayce's art lot, to be built on State Street, in what has long been a run-down corridor. And the sculpture will memorialize a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois who died during his time serving the Cayce Department of Public Safety.
The idea came about when the city received a grant for the art lot from the Central Carolina Community Foundation, said Cayce Public Safety Foundation acting president Pamme Eades. The police dog, Maverick, had recently died, less than two years after the department started its K-9 unit. A sculpture in the art lot would be a perfect addition, a way to draw in pedestrians and to honor Maverick.
Since the department started its K-9 unit, with a $50,000 earmarked donation from the public safety foundation, the dogs have become part of the community, according to Eades.
"They really have caught the imagination of our citizens, so we thought that would be the perfect place to have a memorial," she said.
The public safety foundation is donating money from its general fund for the memorial sculpture. That, combined with grant money _ $10,000 total _ will pay for the work of art, installation and other costs. Eades said artist submissions have been narrowed down and the selected artist will be announced soon.
The lot is scheduled to be complete by February and will contain two other sculptures, also by artists, and green space, Eades said.
Art is off of the public safety foundation's usual path, which includes donations to fund police training simulation programs, vehicles and equipment needs.
"We've been able to add about $74,000 in value to the public safety department," Eades said.
The Cayce art lot will be located at 1908 State St.
