By Jane Ewing Public art slows down pedestrians so they can enjoy their space and helps promote a positive impact on one’s mood. It engages people in art in the course of daily lives. Civic art adds distinctiveness to our communities and humanizes our outdoor places. Local aesthetics is one reason people attach themselves to a community. Salida has the character and ample sense of beauty to validate its allure. Good things happen in this town in the heart of the Rockies, such as the collaboration of Salida residents who recently designed and installed a mural in the SteamPlant’s Strawn/Grether…