Staff Report
City Council
Item No. {{section.number}}.A
Meeting Date: September 25, 2024
From: Anne V. Ambrose, Assistant City Manager
Title: City Entryway Monument Subcommittee Report and Public Arts Commission Recommendations
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is prepared for information, discussion and direction only.
BACKGROUND:
Entryway monuments are an important element in a city’s branding campaign, identifying the boundaries of a city and providing visitors with their first messaging on what the city is about.
One of the action items adopted under the city’s five-year strategic plan Goal B: Community Investment, was to develop an entryway, medians and lighting master plan to provide appealing gateways to the city.
Mayor Pro Tem Ross approached the Public Arts Commission with an idea of creating a standardized entryway monument concept at the entrance locations into the city. The city currently does not have a standardized entryway program throughout the jurisdiction that is being utilized. Entryways into the city may have a public art piece (with or without Cathedral City on the base), some have a smaller city logo sign (part of the City’s adopted wayfinding sign program from 2016), one entrance has a monument sign (also part of the adopted wayfinding sign program from 2016), and some locations do not have anything.
Mayor Pro Tem Ross asked for two volunteers from the Public Arts Commission to work with her on developing a recommendation for a new entryway monument concept. Former Commission Chair Tom Rudolph and current Commission Chair Craig Liebelt volunteered for the assignment.
DISCUSSION:
Mayor Pro Tem and the subcommittee toured the city reviewing all the entryway locations and current entryway pieces. One of the existing entryway monuments is the public art piece titled “Mountain Cathedrals” by artist Michael Paul Thiry. Located at Date Palm Drive, south of Vista Chino, Mountain Cathedrals emulates the majestic canyons that inspired U.S. Army Colonel Henry Washington in 1852 to name a rock formation “Cathedral Canyon” in the foothills of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains that reminded him of the interiors of the great cathedrals in Europe. In 1925, four developers created the area’s first housing subdivision north of the Cathedral Canyon area and named it Cathedral City.
The subcommittee is recommending the Mountain Cathedrals piece be replicated on a smaller scale, to serve as the standard entryway monument into Cathedral City. The new design would be at ½ or ¼ scale, depending on the size of the median. The subcommittee members took detailed notes of the dimensions of the Mountain Cathedrals piece. The concrete base is proposed to be rectangular rather than a polygon like the original. Each base would have lettering reading “Welcome to Cathedral City” to highlight the open and welcoming spirit of the city. The subcommittee is proposing six locations for the new entryway monuments, some would be new monument locations and others would require the relocation of public art pieces currently situated at the entryways. The subcommittee’s proposal includes:
1. Relocating the existing “Chop Sticks” piece located on Ramon Rd. entering from Rancho Mirage and replace with a new monument piece.
2. Relocating the existing “Tic Toc” piece located on Dinah Shore Dr. east of Date Palm Drive and replace with a new monument piece.
3. Install a new monument piece within the median west of Gerald Ford Dr., at Da Vall Dr.
4. Relocate the existing “Tiron IV” piece and add a new monument piece on East Palm Canyon across from Palm Springs Motors.
5. Install a new monument piece within the median of Dinah Shore Dr. bridge entering from Palm Springs.
6. Install a new monument piece at Landau Blvd. and Ramon Rd. The Public Arts Commission has previously been considering a public art piece for this location honoring the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians as part of the bridge construction project at this location that is being done in partnership with the City of Palm Springs.
The Public Arts Commission considered this item at their last regularly scheduled meeting on September 10, 2024 and voted unanimously to support the subcommittee’s recommendation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is currently no budget allocated for this project. In FY 2023/24, staff had intended to go to Council for a budget allocation to conduct the entryway/medians/lighting study identified in the strategic plan, but this study was put on hold due to the fiscal impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary. Staff anticipated putting in a request of $150,000 for this study.
Public Works staff solicited some preliminary quotes on fabricating the monument signs in steel, at full-size, half-size, and quarter size. The prices, including installation ranged from $59,087.99 for a quarter-size and $73,295.00 for a half-size with installation per monument on the low end to $147,068.80 for a half-size plus installation costs on the high end. The quotes did not include the cost of concrete bases, which are estimated to run from $5,000- $7,000 per base, lettering, or any modifications to electrical or lighting. Costs have not been assessed yet for relocating existing public art pieces as proposed.
If the City Council supports this proposal, staff can work to identify an implementation schedule and more defined budget proposal for the project, which can then be considered during development of the next biennial budget.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B: Community Investment
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed and maintained.
B-2: Develop an entryway, medians, and lighting master plan to provide appealing gateways to the City.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Current Entryway Sign Types and Proposed New Monument Piece
2. City Map of Proposed Locations