A proposed 40-foot, $80,000 tilted sculpture envisioned as the centerpiece of Burien's Town Square is turning lawmakers, city staffers and residents into art critics.

Proponents say the sculpture recalls the city's past and will be Burien's beacon in the future.

Opponents say the proposed public artwork looks like a violent, dangerous, upside-down screw.

The Burien Arts Commission recently recommended that Burien City Council members approve placement of the sculpture in the southwest corner of Town Square.

Lawmakers discussed it at their April 23 study session but no vote was scheduled.

Arts commission chairwoman Rochelle Flynn observed last week, "No matter what happens, it is good people are talking about it. My feeling is that we have never had so much interest in art."

Seattle artist Dan Corson, who designed the proposed sculpture and whose public art pieces are displayed throughout the region, said it is inspired by Gunther's Tower.

Built by a Burien land and lumber speculator, the tower was a spiral staircase around a tree that led to an observation deck. From the deck, buyers could look at potential home sites in the Gregory Heights area.

The sculpture's centerpiece is an indigenous red cedar tree.

Corson chose a bucksaw pattern to wrap around the center to represent historic sawmills and the clearing of the land for a new community.

"Instead of a spiral ladder, we have a saw embracing the tree," Corson explained.

Although critics liken the sculpture to an upside down screw, he noted the rotating spiral is visually similar to the Archimedes screw that was used in ancient times to draw up water from the ground to irrigate crops

This is appropriate because the Town Square site sits on a high water table, according to Corson.

The pitch of the sculpture creates "dramatic tension and an implied sense of motion," he added. The tilt also sets it apart from nearby light and flagpoles.

Its slant correlates to the 22 degrees off the north-south axis that marks the location of Mount Rainier.

The sculpture will be illuminated at night to serve as a beacon. Lights will fade from light blue to dark blue and then white, giving the appearance the saw blades are moving, the artist noted.

While Burien City Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak said her biggest concern is that the criteria in choosing the art piece was incomplete, she has received largely negative reaction to a sketch of the sculpture.

"I have shown it around and the majority says it is an example of government screwing us," Krakowiak said.

Parents are concerned about children climbing it and getting hurt, she added.

But, Corson countered, the blades would be sanded smooth.

The sculpture is not intended to be climbed on, and concrete and rocks at the base would keep people away from it, he said.

Close up, the blades seem almost feathery, Flynn added.

Krakowiak also worries that the sculpture looks too violent.

Flynn admitted that her first visceral reaction was negative.

"It looked very harsh, she noted. "I wrestled with it but started looking at it in a different way."

Now Flynn believes it will be "a beacon of life" at night.

"The more I look at it, the more I like it," she said. "It will attract people to Burien."

Corson said he finds the sculpture "very beautiful. Others think it is dynamic."

It is not fair to the artist to judge the design from one sketch, Flynn maintains. The arts commission and council watched a presentation from the artist that also showed views of the sculpture illuminated at night.

But, Krakowiak suggested, "The first impression is the most important."

And her initial thought was that the piece demonstrates a "desensitized culture."

However, the councilwoman's main objection is that lawmakers had requested an art piece that was interactive and touchable for children and families.

She is also concerned that only 23 artists were contacted to submit proposals, and only six responded. Krakowiak said she knows of two well-known local artists who were not notified.

Now she wants the city to start over in finding a centerpiece artwork.

City Manager Mike Martin said, however, planners want the Town Square "to be a little edgy. We want it to be different from Kent Station or University Place."

"Some are afraid of new experience. They are happy with soft, feel-good art," Corson said. "But it is good to stimulate conversation.

"There may be some fear and trepidation at first, but after it's been around for awhile it won't be so scary. People will just say, 'Let's meet at the spirally thing.' "

Councilwoman Sally Nelson said she is very pleased with the work.

"It looks toward the future but honors the past, Nelson said. "It is very interesting, very dramatic."

But, Krakowiak warned, "If this becomes a long-standing joke, that will be unfortunate."_