MINNEAPOLIS — Right outside of the Hennepin County public library in downtown Minneapolis, sits Nimbus, a statue by Tristan Al-Haddad.
"There are really these two parts," Downtown Improvement District President Steve Cramer said. "There's the public art component and then there's the theater in the round."
Cramer says Nimbus was installed in late 2018. Since then, it has been used as a shelter for many.
"It effectively was an encampment in the middle of downtown and anywhere we've seen encampments in Minneapolis, there were health and safety issues we needed to be concerned about," Cramer said.
Hence the fence, a few weeks ago. Cramer said with people at the statue all day and night, it was difficult to get in there for maintenance.
"There has to be some work done to the actual public art installation," Cramer said. "There's actual work being done to the planting beds, some new irrigation lines are being put in."
Cramer also said the constant population created sanitation issues as well as safety risks.
"There were significant property damage, there were drug situations, there were assaults and fights," Cramer said. "There were a number of issues that contributed to that safety aspect of the encampment, there and anywhere in the city that we see those. That's an aspect of what happens, and then it also gives over to public health concerns over sanitation obviously, no restrooms there for people to use."
Cramer said the hiatus will be short but they will be using that time to figure out a longer-term solution for the homeless population near Nimbus.
"One thing we need to do during this time when the maintenance work is being done is trying to figure out is there a better way to manage that space," he said. "Because when the barricades do come down--because they will be coming down-- we don't see that situation recreated again."