For the first time in Colorado Springs, artwork will grace the grounds of a fire station.   A fire station?   Why not, city officials say.   Some kind of piece – sculpture, mural or other medium – will be erected at Fire Station 8, near the southwest corner of Academy Boulevard and Airport Road.   The new station recently opened and includes a concrete pad and lighting out front to accommodate a piece. Or, an artist could propose a mural for the wall.   The artwork is expected to cost $40,000 to $60,000 and be funded with private donations, Fire Chief Manny Navarro said.   “It just made sense to develop that area to accommodate some type of art if we were successful in raising the funds for the project,” he said.   The city paid an extra $1,110 for the concrete base and $150 for an electrical connection for lighting.   “Both of these are minor costs when compared to the price it would have been to add it after the station was completed,” Fire Department spokeswoman Cathy Prudhomme said.   The city recently began soliciting proposals, listing evaluation criteria. Topping the list in importance were artistic quality and “positive reflection” on the Fire Department.   Hmmmm. Does that mean we’re in for another firefighter-rescueschild likeness?   Not necessarily, said Matt Mayberry, a member of the Arts Commission, a city panel working with the Fire Department on the project.   “They have a very open-ended interpretation of what that means,” Mayberry said. “They’re working with the Arts Commission to look at it from an artistic perspective, as well as a maintenance perspective and also safety.”   Mayberry, who is manager of the Pioneers Museum and city cultural services, said the addition will be the 85th piece of city-owned art on public property – and one of the few outside the city’s core area.   “Right now, the bulk of public art is downtown,” he said. “This gets it out in the community. It gives people a chance to interact with art.”Give it away   Jack Hutchens, a retired machine shop owner, said he’s fed up with cops chasing speeders all the time. He thinks there are better things for them to do than act as a cash register for the city.   City officials have denied that the goal is to raise money.   Huh, says Hutchens.   “If it has nothing to do with revenue, why don’t we donate all the revenue to worthy causes?” he said. “We have a lot of them in this city.”Life of Riley   Ran into former state Sen. Ed Jones the other day. After a blistering defeat two years ago, Jones is taking it easy. He dabbles in real estate but mostly golfs, he said.   CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazettedev.gazette.com

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