DATE:
September 20, 2022
TO:
Adam Politzer, Interim City Manager
FROM:
Charles S. Bryant, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Naming the Bus Shelter Temporary Art Program In Sharon Wilchar’s Honor, Acknowledging The Public Art Committee’s Recommendation To Commission A Plaque Honoring Sharon Wilchar, And Re-establishing The City Council Subcommittee On The City’s Recognition Policy By Appointing Mayor Bauters And ____________ As Members Of The Subcommittee
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the above-entitled resolution naming the Bus Shelter Temporary Art Program in Sharon Wilchar’s honor, acknowledging the Public Art Committee’s recommendation to commission a plaque honoring Sharon Wilchar, and re-establishing the subcommittee of the City Council on the City’s Recognition Policy by appointing Mayor Bauters and another Council Member to the subcommittee.
BACKGROUND
Sharon Wilchar volunteered for over 30 years as the Chair of the City’s Public Art Committee (PAC) and has tirelessly supported the arts in Emeryville through the Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Arts in the Schools program, the 45th Street Artist Co-op as well as publically curated gallery displays and countless volunteer hours for a wide range of civic engagements.
In June 2022, Ms. Wilchar declined to reapply for an additional term on the PAC, indicating that she is balancing her many other activities. Ms. Wilchar was appointed to the PAC’s inaugural membership, and served as its Chair every year of her service on the committee. On August 11, 2022, at the first PAC meeting without Ms. Wilchar since the PAC was established, the committee discussed a variety of options to honor Ms. Wilchar for her extended service, and recommended that the City Council approve four actions to honor Ms. Wilchar, as discussed below.
DISCUSSION
The four actions to honor Sharon Wilchar recommended by the PAC are:
Rename the Bus Shelter Temporary Art Program in her honor, as the “The Sharon Wilchar Bus Shelter Temporary Art Program”; Prepare a City Council proclamation honoring Ms. Wilchar; Host an event in her honor, inviting those impacted by her 30 years of service; and Commission and install a plaque in her honor
Regarding the plaque, the PAC recommended that “the City will create a bronze engraved plaque which will be displayed in one of the prominent galleries of the new Art Center, soon to be built. Since the Art Center is not yet under construction, the plaque will be displayed in City Hall alongside a final rendering of the design of the new Art Center, until it can be installed in one of the galleries of the Art Center.” On September 17, 2019, the City Council heard an agenda item to discuss whether to form an ad hoc committee of the City Council to discuss and make recommendations regarding the City's Recognition Policy. The City Council currently has a Council Policy (Council Policy #1, attached to this staff report) that defines the policies, responsibilities and procedures associated with the donation, and the naming and dedication of City facilities, including memorial benches and plaques. The Policy was most recently amended in February of 2019. The Council voted to establish a subcommittee comprised of then-Councilmember John Bauters and former Vice Mayor Christian Patz to discuss the ways in which the City recognizes people. The subcommittee has not yet forwarded its recommendations to the City Council, and former Vice Mayor Christian Patz resigned from the City Council in 2021.
Considering the PAC’s recommendation to commission a plaque in Ms. Wilchar’s honor, and because former Vice-Mayor Patz is no longer a member of the City Council, staff recommends the City Council re-establish the subcommittee regarding the City’s recognition policy by appointing Mayor Bauters and another Council Member to the subcommittee. Staff further recommends that the subcommittee forward its recommendations to the City Council for potential action prior to the City Council’s consideration of the commissioning of the plaque recommended by the PAC. Establishing an updated policy will ensure consistency in procedures and standards applied by the City in evaluating future requests for recognition.
The recommended proclamation is a separate agenda item, under “Special Orders of the Day”, on the September 20, 2022 City Council agenda.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action has no fiscal impact..
STAFF COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC
As noted above, the PAC discussed methods of honoring Ms. Wilchar at their regular meeting on August 11, 2022 and unanimously endorsed the above recommendations for City Council approval.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution renaming the Bus Shelter Temporary Art Program in Ms. Wilchar’s honor, acknowledging the PAC’s recommendation to commission a plaque honoring Ms. Wilchar, and re-establishing the City Council subcommittee on the City’s recognition policy by appointing Mayor Bauters and another Council Member to the subcommittee.
PREPARED BY: Amber Evans, Community and Economic Development Coordinator II REVIEWED BY: Chadrick Smalley, Deputy Director of Community Development
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EMERYVILLE:
Adam Politzer, Interim City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - City Council Policy No. 001: Naming and Dedication of City Facilities; Bench/Plaque Donation Draft Resolution
Honoring Sharon Wilchar & City Recognition Policy
City Council Meeting | September 20, 2022
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM