By TERRY PARKHURST

Kevin Spitzer grew up in the Roosevelt District and used to ride his bicycle south, across the 15th Avenue Bridge. Now, his art graces the utility poles that set next to that bridge - along with several other locales in the Roosevelt District.

A total of 14 poles in the Roosevelt District have been covered with multi-colored marbles. Their coloring features brighter hues towards the top of the sheathings and darker colors towards the bottom. Spitzer was trying to replicate the effect of a lighthouse.

Spitzer's enhancements started with galvanized steel sleeves. The steel was then covered with tile grout, and the marbles were then placed into the grout. The art was then secured to the poles using light steel bindings comparable to what is used by utility crews.

Another artist, Wilbur Hathaway, assisted Spitzer put together the exact patterns of the marbles. Hathaway, whose art was featured at the Seattle Goodwill Games in 1990, specializes in making mosaics. As Spitzer puts it, "making patterns in marble was a natural" for Hathaway.

Spitzer also enlisted two other friends to serve as studio assistants: Josh Davis and Rob Hendrickson. Davis is a painter who gave a lot of input regarding the marble patterns. Hendrickson is a metalworker who did a lot of the welding of the sleeves to which the marbles are glued.

There were also a number of friends who helped out by dropping by to slap marbles into place. The money to pay for this neighborhood art project came from the City's Neighborhood Plans, Early Implementation Program. It totaled $29,000 and actually paid for 15 poles - the Seattle Department of Transportation inadvertently junked one of the sheathings when working on the poles.

Mayor Paul Schell toured the Roosevelt neighborhood in March to view Spitzer's creations. Spitzer, who currently lives in the Central District, says his purpose in creating the multi-colored coverings was for visitors to "know when you're in Roosevelt, where all the marbles area."

Spitzer, who attended the Rhode Island School of Design, works in steel, concrete and glass to create furniture and sculpture.

Spitzer can be reached at 328-3240. He also has a Web site: www.dk-studios.com. (