DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2022
DEPARTMENT: LIBRARY & COMMUNITY SERVICES
FROM: KRISTAN LUNDQUIST, LCS DIRECTOR
BY: JOSE ARREOLA, COMMUNITY SAFETY ADMINISTRATOR
TITLE: PUBLIC ART UPDATE
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
This is an Administrative Report of an update on the City of Salinas Public Art Program. No further action is required.
RECOMMENDATION:
No action is required as this is an Administrative Report which provides an update on the City of Salinas Public Art Program.
BACKGROUND:
On May 16, 2017, the City Council adopted an Ordinance establishing a Public Art Program. The Ordinance created a Municipal Art Fund which is funded exclusively from contributions made by public construction projects: The Ordinance imposes upon the City the requirement to contribute an amount not to exceed on-half percent (0.5%) of the total project cost of each eligible capital improvement program project to a Municipal Art Fund. On February 11, 2020, the City Council approved the Public Art Master Plan.
The ordinance also established a Public Art Commission (PAC). The Library Community Services Department (LCS) staffs and supports the PAC. One of the PAC’s primary activities is the preparation of an Annual Public Arts Plan. Per Ordinance, the Public Arts Annual Plan will be submitted to the City Council annually no later than April 1. The Municipal Art Fund is a key tool for the PAC. The money for the fund comes from a fee on the value of any capital improvement program construction project funded by the General Tax, Measure G and E. The fee is 0.5% of qualified completed CIPS once a year. The money is deposited into the fund every June at the end of the fiscal year. There is a cap of $50,000 for any one project and a cap of $100,000 for spending in one year. The Current balance is $22,942.46. To date, all of the expended funds were used to fund the development and writing of the Public Arts Master Plan. No funds were expended in 2021.
The PAC created an Annual Plan Committee that met three times from September through November 2021. The committee’s goal was to develop a public arts plan that identified funding recommendations to the Salinas City Council for use of the Public Art funds. The committee prepared a draft plan that was reviewed at a regular PAC meeting in November of 2021 and was approved by council on February 28, 2022. The committee had to develop ideas that could work with a relatively small fund balance and its slow rate of growth.
The Public Arts Commission Annual Plan for fiscal year 2023 adopted by Council authorized the use of up to $6,000. Of this amount $5,000 in funding would go to support new or existing cultural performing art events in Salinas by offering matching grants (in-kind match allowed) of up to $2,500. The goal of this funding is to help maintain and expand public art events to provide local artists in the City of Salinas an opportunity to engage with the public and publicly display their work. Up to $1,000 will be used for marketing the Public Art Commission meetings, Public Art Master Plan projects, vacant commissioner seats and the grant opportunity. The RFP has been developed for this grant program and has been reviewed by legal. We plan to start promoting the grant opportunity in October.
The Municipal Art Fund is not the only source of funding for Public Art. We have had some great new public art projects completed and planned using other funding sources. Each year the city administers a Neighborhood Beautification Grant totaling $56,000. In fiscal year 2022 the grant program funded 5 public projects including a new mural at the Breadbox Recreation Center. Also, in fiscal year 2022 LCS provided $15,000 in funding to put public art paintings on the newly installed trash corrals along Main Street. City staff developed the RFP and worked with a dozen artist to complete this project in the Summer of 2022. LCS has also partnered with the Community Development Department (CDD) on art installations as part of the Alisal Vibrancy Plan funded projects. This includes the placement of two already completed moveable murals. We have also partnered with CDD on a major Cal Trans grant they earned to put public art on three of our major free underpasses in the heart of Salinas. This includes working with our Public Art Commission on the RFP development and artist selection. Our state grant to revitalize Closter Park which will be completed December 2024 also includes multiple public art elements.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
Not a Project. The City of Salinas has determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378).
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
The Public Art Program in Salinas supports City Council Strategic Plan Goal: Investment Strategies/Risk Management DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
LCS staff work with the City Attorney’s Office, Public Works and Community Development around any mural or public art events that are supported using the Municipal Art Fund, or any other city funds.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
Funds are appropriated and available in the Municipal Art Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
PowerPoint Presentation
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CITY OF SALINASPUBLIC ART COMMISSION STAFF REPORTCITY OF SALINASPUBLIC ART COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
CITY OF SALINAS
PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
CITY OF SALINAS
PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT