HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/16/2019 - RESOLUTION 2019-080 APPROVING AN ARTWORK TO BE PLAAgenda Item 13
Item # 13 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 16, 2019
City Council
STAFF
Ellen Martin, Visual Arts Administrator
Ingrid Decker, Legal
SUBJECT
Resolution 2019-080 Approving an Artwork to be Placed at the Poudre River Whitewater Park.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to approve artwork that will be placed in the Poudre River Whitewater Park to mark
the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
City Code Section 23-208 states that the APP Board is to make recommendations to the City Council on the
use of City funds over $30,000 for works of art. City Code Section 23-309 states works of art with a value of
$300 or more donated to the City and placed in a public place may be accepted only with approval of the Arts
in Public Places Board (APP), and all such works with a value of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.) or more may
be accepted only with approval of the City Council.
This unique project is a sort of hybrid between a donated artwork and a City-commissioned art piece. It is a
collaboration between Art in Public Places, Park Planning and Development and donors who are contributing
funds to the project. The artist developed the concept for the art with this whole team.
The proposed gateway sculpture will be created by artist John Davis who is also creating the APP sculptural
shelter structure at the Poudre River Whitewater Park. This gateway artwork was developed to mark the
Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area on the Cache la Poudre River and speak to the water history of
the area.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The sculpture is valued at $68,000, which includes fabrication, contingency and maintenance.
$28,000 of the budget represents two gifts made to the Heritage Gateway Project: (1) $10,000 from the Poudre
Heritage Alliance, made possible by federal funding through the National Heritage Areas Program; and (2)
$18,000 from the Downtown Development Authority in continued demonstration of their historical and active
support for the Poudre River Whitewater Park project.
The donated funds are a portion of the overall art budget. The remaining funds of $40,000 will be funded from
the Poudre River Whitewater Project capital project account. No APP funds are being spent to create the
artwork. City staff is requesting Council approval of the artwork both as an expenditure of City funds for art
and as a donated artwork.
Agenda Item 13
Item # 13 Page 2
BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
This proposed artwork was reviewed and recommended for City Council approval by the APP Board at the
Board’s May 29, 2019, meeting.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
The APP Program will promote the gift of art to the City of Fort Collins.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Description and Images of Proposed Art Donation (PDF)
2. Art in Public Places Board Minutes, May 29, 2019 (Draft) (PDF)
1
Heritage Gateway
Artwork
by John Davis
With funds donated by the Downtown
Development Authority and
Poudre Heritage Alliance
This gateway artwork at the Poudre River Whitewater Park was developed with the artist and
project team to mark the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area on the Cache la
Poudre River and speak to the water history of the area. It also relates to John Davis’s
sculptural shelter artwork that is also located in the Poudre River Whitewater Park.
View on trail looking east
ATTACHMENT 1
2
Circular elements reference water bubbles or water pipe sections. Circular translucent resin panels speak
to the water history. Sweeping verticals are created to evoke water flows, the swaying of plants on the
river bank.
An historic event occurred at this site associated with each of the three water themes of the
Heritage Trail:
Water for Recreation: Site of the first in stream recreational water right, 1986
Water for Agriculture: Site of the Coy diversion structure, 1865
Water for Industry: Site of Fort Collins municipal power plant, 1936
There will be a Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area QR Code to link to additional
information.
3
Matte finish stainless steel construction with resin panels
View through the APP sculptural shelter by John Davis to the Heritage Gateway artwork.
4
Aerial view showing south bank of the river with John Davis’ Heritage Gateway artwork (circled in red) in
upper left and his sculptural shelter artwork in lower right.
Poudre River Whitewater Park site plan showing location of Heritage Gateway Sculpture.
ATTACHMENT 2
-1-
RESOLUTION 2019-080
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROVING AN ARTWORK TO BE PLACED AT
THE POUDRE RIVER WHITEWATER PARK
WHEREAS, the City has nearly completed the Poudre River Whitewater Park project
(the “Project”); and
WHEREAS, on December 4, 2018, the City Council, pursuant to Resolution 2018-118,
approved an Art in Public Places (“APP”) project for the Project site consisting of a sculptural
shelter created by artist John Davis; and
WHEREAS, City project staff and two outside donors were interested in doing an
additional gateway art piece that would recognize the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage
Area and speak to the water history of the area; and
WHEREAS, in consultation with the APP program, the parties decided to partner with
John Davis to create the additional piece; and
WHEREAS, the proposed sculpture would include circular elements referencing water
bubbles or water pipe sections, each containing a translucent resin panel speaking to the history
of water and the river, and sweeping verticals evoking water flows and the swaying of plants on
the riverbank (the “Artwork”); and
WHEREAS, the cost to create the Artwork is estimated at $68,000; and
WHEREAS, $28,000 of the budget for the Artwork comes from two donations: $10,000
from the Poudre Heritage Alliance and $18,000 from the Downtown Development Authority;
and
WHEREAS, the remaining $40,000 for the Artwork will come from the capital project
account for the Project; and
WHEREAS, installation and future maintenance of the Artwork will be funded by the
APP program; and
WHEREAS, Section 23-308 of the City Code states that the APP Board shall make
recommendations to the City Council concerning the use of funding in excess of $30,000 for the
acquisition of works of art; and
WHEREAS, Section 23-309 of the City Code states that works of art with a value of
$300 or more donated to the City and placed in a public area may be accepted only with approval
of the Art in Public Places Board (“the APP Board”), and all such works with a value of $10,000
or more may be accepted only with approval of the City Council, upon review of the proposed
donation and the recommendation of the APP Board; and
-2-
WHEREAS, because the Artwork is being funded in part with City funds, and partially
by donations over $10,000, and the donors provided input on the design of the Artwork, City
staff decided to seek Council approval of the Artwork as both a purchase of art by the City and a
donation of art under Section 23-309 of the City Code; and
WHEREAS, at its regular meeting on May 29, 2019, the APP Board evaluated the
proposed Artwork based on the City’s Art in Public Places Guidelines and recommended that the
City Council approve it; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that the Artwork meets the principal goals
of the Art in Public Places program pursuant to Section 23-301 of the City Code.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That the City Council hereby approves the proposed sculpture created by
artist John Davis as described herein and, to the extent it constitutes a donation of artwork to the
City, approves the City’s acceptance of such donation.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this
16th day of July, A.D. 2019.
_________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________
City Clerk