AGENDA #4d

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:      Authorization to Purchase Public Art with Library Gift Funds

DATE:                        May 23, 2005

The attached budget ordinance would authorize expenditure of up to an additional $8,480 from Library Gift Funds to purchase the “Once Upon a Time” sculpture currently located at the library.

BACKGROUND

In April 2003 the Public Arts Commission selected “Once Upon A Time” a bronze sculpture by artist Betty Branch, as one of nine sculptures selected for its public art program Sculpture Visions.  Through the Sculpture Visions program, artworks are selected by a committee for a six-month temporary exhibition in public places throughout Chapel Hill. 

The Public Arts Commission chose the Library as the site for “Once Upon A Time” because of its literary theme.  The piece has proven to be very popular with children and adults. 

Near the end of the sculpture’s loan period, private citizens began investigating the possibility of purchasing the piece for the Library and raising funds to do so. To date, the Library Gift Fund has received $4,520 toward purchase of the statue.  We anticipate an additional $500 from a matched corporate gift, bringing the total available to $5,020.

This spring, the artist reduced the price of the sculpture from $15,000 to $13,500.  She also agreed to extend the loan period while the Town explored options to fund the remaining $8,480 needed to purchase the piece.  The artist is now requesting a formal commitment from the Town and a good faith down payment toward purchase of the sculpture.

DISCUSSION

The current Library Gift Fund balance is $176,480.  Each year, the Town budgets some Library Gift Funds to purchase additional collection materials.  Remaining library gift funds are currently earmarked through 2007 for Council-approved capital improvement projects recommended in the Library Master Plan.   

We believe that augmenting privately raised funds with Library Gift Fund to purchase “Once Upon A Time” would permit the Town to take advantage of a timely purchase of popular public art.  We also believe that using library gift funds for this purpose would not significantly affect scheduling of currently scheduled capital projects.

RECOMMENDATION

We recommend that the Council enact the attached ordinance amending the 2004-2005 budget authorizing up to $8,480 to be used toward the purchase of the “One Upon a Time” sculpture.

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND “THE ORDINANCE CONCERNING APPROPRIATIONS AND THE RAISING OF REVENUE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2004” (2005-05-23/O-1)

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Budget Ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Concerning Appropriations and the Raising of Revenue for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2004” as duly adopted on June 14, 2004 and the same is hereby amended as follows:

This the 23^rd day of May, 2005.