AGENDA #4c
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Additional Funding for Streetscape Benches
DATE: October 7, 2002
Adoption of the attached Resolution would authorize the Town Manager to allocate $4,000 of existing Streetscape bond funds to pay for benches to be fabricated from stainless steel, rather than painted sheet metal, and to provide an honorarium for the artist who designed the benches.
BACKGROUND
On April 8, 2002, the Town Council authorized the Town Manager to proceed with proposed Streetscape improvements in a section of the South side of the 1000 block of East Franklin Street. At that meeting the Council also directed Town staff to work with the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission to identify an opportunity to include public art in the project. The Commission and Town staff met and determined that a significant public art project could be accomplished by adding the 1% for art allocation to the funds that would otherwise be used to purchase a component of the project. Using this approach it was determined that approximately $10,000 could be available to commission an artist to design Streetscape benches. After interviewing 3 interested artists, a committee of Commission members and Town staff selected artist Arlene Slavin to do the project.
On August 14, 2002, the Commission selection committee met with Ms. Slavin to review and select from four design proposals she had prepared. At that meeting she discussed the option of selecting a stainless steel finish rather than the anticipated painted finish and what the costs for that would be. She also noted that she had included no design fees in the project budget. The selection committee enthusiastically endorsed one of the design proposals and discussed the possibility of securing additional funds to cover the additional cost of stainless steel.
On September 9, 2002, a Council member petitioned the Mayor and Council to provide an additional $4,000 in funding in order that the benches be made from stainless steel, rather than painted sheet metal, and to provide an honorarium for the artist.
DISCUSSION
The current available funding in the Streetscape account is sufficient to provide an additional $4,000 for the new benches. Of that total, $2,000 is needed to fabricate the benches from stainless steel instead of painted metal. Stainless steel is the material preferred by the artist and the Commission, as well as Town staff and will provide better durability and require less maintenance.
The remaining $2,000 would be paid as an honorarium to Ms. Slavin for her work in developing the designs, preparing shop drawings, coordinating with the fabricator to produce the benches, and arranging for shipping from New York to Chapel Hill. This money would in part compensate Ms. Slavin for not including design fees in her project budget.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend adoption of the attached resolution authorizing the Town Manager to allocate $4,000 from Streetscape funds to provide stainless steel benches and an honorarium for the artist.
ATTACHMENTS
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO UTILIZE $4,000 OF AVAILABLE STREETSCAPE BOND FUNDS TO PROVIDE STAINLESS STEEL FOR FABRICATION OF BENCHES AND AN HONORARIUM FOR THE ARTIST, ARLENE SLAVIN (2002-10-07/R- 4)
WHEREAS, customized benches are to be created as the public art component of the 2002 Streetscape improvement project; and
WHEREAS, the artist commissioned to produce the benches did not charge design fees; and
WHEREAS, stainless steel is the preferred material to fabricate benches from; and
WHEREAS, $4,000 is currently available from Streetscape funds;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Town Manager to allocate an additional $4,000 of Streetscape bond funds to pay for benches to be fabricated from stainless steel and to provide an honorarium for the artist who designed the benches.
This the 7th day of October, 2002.