Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.D
Meeting Date: June 10, 2026
From: Anne V. Ambrose, Assistant City Manager
Title: Approve a Contract with C.J. Rench for the Fabrication and Installation of a Sculpture Titled "Crimson Sentinel" in the Esperanza Roundabout.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. To accept the Public Arts Commission’s recommendation to select “Crimson Sentinel” by C.J. Rench as the sculpture to be installed in the roundabout at Esperanza Park,
2. To approve a contract with C.J. Rench for the fabrication and installation of the sculpture,
3. To authorize the City Manager to execute any necessary documents.
BACKGROUND:
With the construction of Esperanza Park complete, staff have been working towards the identification of a public art piece to be located in the main entranceway roundabout to finish out the park.
The Public Arts Commission (PAC) and Parks and Community Events (PACE) commissions have selected a subcommittee to collectively work on soliciting community input from the community to get their desires for the piece, consistent with the level of engagement seen throughout the entire development of the park. A meeting was held with the Dream Homes residents on March 18, 2025, at Agua Caliente Elementary School. In advance of the meeting, flyers were distributed through the schools in both English and Spanish and postcards were mailed to each home in the Dream Homes neighborhood to solicit input.
On May 13, 2025, PAC met to discuss call for artist process and approve a budget for the project. After further review by staff, an updated proposed budget was brought back to the PAC on June 10, 2025, to increase the overall project budget. The item was brought to the City Council on July 9, 2025, and the City Council approved the recommendation by the PAC for a not to exceed budget of $173,000 from the Art in Public Places fund for the entryway sculpture.
A call for artists was released online through the Café https://www.callforentry.org/ seeking qualified artists to submit their interest in the project. The application period was open from September 8, 2025, until November 6, 2025. A total of 145 applications were received. Each commissioner was able to independently review and score the applications and on December 18, 2025, a special PAC meeting was conducted in which the commissioners selected three artists to advance to develop a concept for the sculpture. The three selected artists were: Eileen Gay, Charla Elizabeth, and C.J. Rench.
On March 10, 2026, the PAC met in a special meeting to receive presentations of the sculpture concepts by the three finalists.
Community Engagement
To ensure the Dream Homes community and broader community had sufficient opportunities to provide input on which sculpture was preferred, a variety of community outreach efforts took place.
An online survey in English and Spanish was published on Discover Cathedral City on April 6, 2026, and advertised on the City’s various social media sites, including the Dream Homes Neighborhood Facebook page. Voting was open through April 30, 2026.
On April 11, 2026, staff and Public Arts Commissioners staffed a table at the Esperanza Rising event at Esperanza Park and offered residents who attended the opportunity to vote on their favorite sculpture.
Parks and Community Events Commissioner Mario Jiminez went door-to-door in the Dream Homes neighborhood soliciting feedback from the residents on their preferred sculpture.
DISCUSSION:
On May 12, 2026 – the Public Arts Commission met to review the community feedback and overall proposals to determine which sculpture best fits the location and goals of the project The proposals were reviewed for their compliance with the call for artists, appropriateness of materials, alignment with the vision of the project, safety, maintenance, and community’s preferences. At that meeting, the Public Arts Commission recommended Crimson Centinel by C.J. Rench be forwarded to the City Council for approval.
Following that meeting, the city received additional feedback from the students at Agua Caliente School which was not considered during the first meeting (attached), so a special meeting was held on May 26, 2026, to review the students’ input as well as additional feedback on the sculptures from the city’s engineering department. The commission considered the additional information and again recommended Crimson Sentinel by C.J.
Rench to move forward to the City Council for approval.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total not to exceed budget for the Esperanza Park Roundabout Project is $173,000.
Item Cost
Stipend to three artists to create a concept $3,000
for the sculpture - $1,000 each
Artist fees (materials, construction,
transportation, travel)
$100,000
City Costs – advertising for the call,
installation, electrical, concrete work,
plaque
$50,000
Contingency $20,000
Total Not to Exceed $173,000
DESCRIPTION GENERAL
LEDGER
ACCOUNT
CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2025-2026 Esperanza
Park Public Art
231-500-510-
513-8800-8802 NA $173,000 One Time
2025-2026 Total $173,000
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.
ATTACHMENTS:
Proposals
Community Input Scoring
Engineering Review
Agreement