Title
Art in Public Places Board Recommendation for 3D Wall Art at the Pinon Park Splash Pad in White Rock
Recommended Action
I move that the Council approve the use of Art in Public Places funds and the APPB's recommendation for public art at the Pinon Park Splash Pad, including the design, fabrication, delivery, installation of the 3D wall art maze, not yet titled, by artist Carrie Quade, to include contingencies such as necessary design modifications, plaque and dedication event with a total proposed budget not to exceed $67,000.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Administrator recommends that Council approve the expenditure from Arts in Public Places funds as requested.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The Art in Public Places Board recommends Council approval of the proposed artwork and recommendations.
Body
Section 8-32 of the Los Alamos County Code of Ordinances speaks to the powers and duties of the Art in Public Places Board. Part of their powers are to "recommend to the council the acquisition of works of art for county-owned facilities," as well as to "recommend to the council the public sites selected for the display of such art."
The Board began discussions regarding installation of a new piece at the White Rock Splash Pad in the summer of 2019. Carrie Quade had submitted items that the board felt would be a good fit for the space during a previous “Call for Art” in 2018.
As far as material, the Board considered materials that have not yet been included in the County collection and to be durable and low maintenance. Proposed materials to be used is Precision Board High Density Urethane (HUD) panels, an environmentally friendly, longer lasting and lighter than wood, and non-absorbent material. The maze will be further coated in a durable semi-gloss paint.
The proposed wall art (shown in Attachment A) has three parts, on the primary wall, which faces the Splash Pad, the mural is an interactive 3D maze, where visitors of the facility can trace their fingers within the wide, rounded grooves through the length of the wall. The grooves are to painted a shade of Blue, and the raised areas will be alternating colors that are complimentary and unite the Splash Pad colors, such as pink, orange, etc.). Maximum height of this mural is not to exceed the current wall structure of 5ft 8in. Furthermore, the HUD panels are also proposed to wrap around the changing room and the wall of the mechanical room, milled with the same design, but without the maze engraved, so not to invite activity along the planned planted area. The maximum height of these areas are not to exceed the height of the current wall structure of 9 feet 6 inches.
Due to the nature of the Splash Pad, signage needs to be mounted for the facility, along with an emergency phone. As of this date, the board is unsure of the total amount of signage needed, and the size, which will affect the currently proposed design for the changing room wall. The Splash Pad is anticipated to be completed Oct 2020, at which point signage should be known. The Art in Public Places Board and the artist acknowledges this fact and agree that the design may change depending on the signage locations and size. Options for this wall are: Signage and phone box can be milled into the HUD, making the design continuous, or the changing room wall can be painted with a complementary color, with no HUD panels.
If approved by Council, design and fabrication work will begin and should be completed and installed by the beginning of the 2021 splash pad season. Public comments were collected at Sept. 10th's Farmers Market and via Open Forum and are shown in Attachment B. The comments received were both positive and negative.
Estimated total budget for the project proposed by the artist is $57,234.20. Budget contingency for design modification (15% of est. total from artist), plaque and dedication event is $9,765.80; for a complete total budget of $67,000.
Alternatives
Council could vote to not approve the APPB's recommendation for the 3D wall art and/or direct the APPB to gather more information or make a different selection of artwork. Council could also direct the APPB to stop looking for art for the Splash Pad.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/New Item
The funds for this recommendation will come from the Art in Public Places fund. There are sufficient funds in the expenditure budget totaling $602,900 in the account to cover the recommended purchase and estimate contingency amount. The APPB staff liaison will oversee the contract/purchase agreement.
Attachments
A - Approved Mural Proposal Info
B - Public Comment Carrie Quade Splash Pad
C - Open Forum Comments Report
D - Presentation - Splash Pad