TO: Mayor Bien-Willner and Town Council Members
FROM: Jill Keimach, Town Manager
Duncan Miller, Town Clerk
Jason Harris, CIP
DATE: September 12, 2019
DEPARTMENT: Engineering
Staff Contact Jason Harris, 480-348-3622
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Review of Town Hall Remodel of Front Entry and Consideration of Donated Ed Mell Sculpture to Honor Donors to Paradise Valley Mountain Preservation Trust
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Town Council review the exterior plans of the Town Hall Remodel and provide direction regarding the location, design, and installation costs of the proposed Ed Mell Sculpture that will be donated to the Town by the Paradise Valley Mountain Preservation Trust.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The newly renamed Paradise Valley Mountain Preservation Trust has taken on several new goals this year. A key goal is to recognize the past and future donors to the Trust. The Board decided to honor those donors with a commemorative art sculpture at Town Hall.
The location of the proposed art as it relates to the entry to the Town Hall require full Council consideration, as does the overall art design and whether the Council will approve this as part of the Town Hall Remodel. If a location is finalized at the September 12 Study Session, staff will return with cost estimates and a change order to the Town Hall Remodel contract.
Consequently, on Tuesday June 18, Artist Ed Mell and Architect John Douglas met with Councilmember Pace, the Town Hall remodel architect from CORE and Town staff to discuss potential sites at the entry to the Town Hall to brainstorm potential locations and conceptual designs for an Ed Mell/John Douglas sculpture. The concept of the art was provide an original art piece by well-known and local artists/architects to honor the families or individuals who have and will donate land to the Paradise Valley Mountain Preservation Trust. With over 200 acres donated to the Trust to date the goal over the next couple of years is to add another 47 acres into the Preservation Trust. The Town has had no commemoration to date of the people who have previously donated to the Trust.
In mid-July Ed Mell and John Douglas presented their vision for the sculpture which is a large mountain design atop a base that will include the names of donors. The piece is not yet sized to fit the location, although the rough scale of the submitted drawing looks like it might be about 15’ x 30’.
Engineering and Administrative staff met on July 22nd and August 5, 2019 with the Town Hall remodel architect (CORE) to provide input on the proposed location in the front of the entry plaza. Initial feedback included questions about whether the center front location would block views to the front of the building. Other locations were discussed in order to keep costs down since they would avoid remodeling or reconfiguring the existing retaining wall to the left of the entrance.
Two potential locations for the sculpture included:
• To the left of the entry in the rose bed with a base that matches the material, style and relative shape of the circular tree planter to the right of the entry (and relocate the roses to the memorial area)
• At the entry to the sidewalk leading to the bike racks; relocate the racks and create a concrete area for access around the art. This area could also encroach into the adjacent landscape area. Relocate the bike racks.
The Town Hall Remodel contractor CORE began construction to the community meeting room on September 3. If the Council can give direction on the location of the sculpture to the front entry, staff can return to the Council with a bid for the additional concrete, wall, and/or sidewalk work that would be necessary depending on the placement of the sculpture. If this work can be accomplished as a change order to the Town Hall Remodel project, the Town would be able to more efficiently and cost-effectively complete the work since the staging, construction management and concrete work could be tied to the current construction.
BUDGET IMPACT:
A rough estimate of the additional costs include:
• $10k Design (surveying, drainage design, stakeholder coordination)
• $20k Construction (concrete removal/replacement, new planter wall)
• $10k Retention Basin and Landscape Restoration
ATTACHMENT(S):
PowerPoint presentation