HomeMy WebLinkAboutC40470 Call for Artists Traffic Signal Cabinet BeautificationSTAFF REPORT
CITY OF PALM DESERT
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
MEETING DATE
PREPARED BY
REQUEST
Recommendation
September 24, 2020
Amy Lawrence, Management Analyst
Contract No. C40470
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Consideration for approval to release a call for artists to submit proposals
for traffic signal cabinet beautification.
By Minute Motion, approve releasing a call for artists to submit proposals for traffic signal
cabinet beautification.
Funds are available in the FY 2020/2021 Public Art budget Fund 436.
Commission Recommendation
At its regular meeting of September 9, 2020, the Art in Public Places (AIPP) Commission
recommended that staff release a call for artists to submit proposals for traffic signal cabinet
beautification with a vote of 6-0-1, with Commissioners Adney, Boren, Campbell, Darby, Hauer,
and Mryland voting aye and Commissioner Miller absent.
Strateqic Plan Obiective
Traffic signal cabinet beautification is in line with the Arts & Culture Mini-Vision contained in the
Strategic Plan, which states:
"Arts and culture give a community its soul. Palm Desert is the cultural core of the
Coachella Valley. Cultural tourism drives economic growth in Palm Desert. The
community is host to internationally recognized cultural events that bring significant
economic benefits to the City. Palm Desert is a leader in arts education, ensuring a
well-rounded population that possesses high levels of creativity and critical thinking
skills."
Discussion
The AIPP Commission recently considered an item brought forward by Commissioner Adney
requesting to commission an artist to paint a temporary artwork supporting equality and social
justice. After much discussion, the idea came up of commissioning artists to submit artwork for
traffic signal cabinets including specific words in support of the cause. Final recommendation
from the Commission is for staff to release a call for artists to submit artwork including three
recommended words for three separate traffic signal cabinets (e.g. each cabinet would consist
of an artwork to include one of the recommended words). The Commission would review all
submitted proposals and select three which will then go to the City Council for final approval.
September 24, 2020 - Staff Report
Traffic Signal Cabinet Beautification — Call for Artists
Page 2 of 2
Listed below are the words recommended by the Commission:
Equality
Kindness
Respect
The locations for installation which have been vetted by Public Works are as follows:
EI Paseo x San Luis Rey
Highway 111 x Fred Waring
Monterey x Hahn (entrance to Westfield)
Different from previous traffic signal cabinet beautification projects undertaken by the City, staff
is recommending that the cabinets be vinyl wrapped with the selected artwork versus the artist
painting directly on the cabinet. Many other cities are conducting traffic signal cabinet
beautification via vinyl wrap which is beneficial in the following ways:
The artwork can be duplicated if the traffic signal cabinet must be replaced. In the event
that only one panel requires replacement, it can be done without incurring the cost of an
entire new wrap.
The vinyl used is graffiti proof in that permanent markers, spray paint, and adhesives are
easily removable. This reduces maintenance costs associated with graffiti abatement.
Fiscal Analvsis
Staff is recommending that each of the three artists selected receive an honorarium in the
amount of $500 for the design. The cost of wrapping each traffic signal cabinet ranges between
$1,500 and $2,000 depending on the size of the cabinet. Therefore, the cost for three cabinets
would be between $4,500 to $6,000. Given the range in size of the traffic signal cabinets, and
fact that one of the locations consists of two cabinets, staff is requesting an amount not to
exceed $10,000 for this project. Funds for this project are available in the Public Art budget
Fund 436 and do no impact the General Fund.
LEGAL REVIEW
N/A
Robert W.
Hargreaves
City Attorney
DEPT. REVIEW
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Ryan Stendell
Director of
Community
Development
FINANCIAL
REVIEW
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Janet M. Moore
Director of Finance
ASSISTANT
CITY MANAGER
Interim City Manager: �a�sdcy ��u�
APPLICANT
None
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Andy Firestine
Assistant City Manager
ATTACHMENTS: Images of traffic signal cabinets
El Paseo and San Luis Rey
Highway 111 x Fred Waring
Monterey x Hahn (Westfield Entrance)