“Neptune’s Daughter” by Lisa Reinertson is one of the submissions for the Arts & Culture Commission’s public art initiative. (Courtesy photo)

Updates on the public art initative and General Plan are on the agenda for Tuesday’s Benicia City Council meeting.

In mid-2017, the Arts & Culture Commission issued a request for proposals for its initiative to add more public art to the downtown and throughout Benicia. This call was for artists to submit proposed designs for traffic signal boxes, trash can enclosures and benches situated in highly visible, public right-of-ways. Lisa Reinertson, a local professional artist who sculpted several statues of Martin Luther King, Jr. which stand in places such as the University of California, Davis, and Kalamazoo, Mich., submitted a bronze sculpture called “Neptune’s Daughter.” The submission also went through the three-stage process of approval in concept by the Art Selection Panel, the Public Art Subcommittee, and the Arts & Culture Commission. The Arts & Culture Commission recommend the city accept the donation. It was also recommended that the council allocate funds toward the cost in a joint venture of funding amenable to the council, with the commission initiating targeted fundraising and the council allocating funds as available.

Installing the statue costs an estimated a $15,000 to $20,000, according to city staff. All of the costs of the traffic signal and trash enclosure art installations, materials, reimbursement to the artists and the honorarium are covered by the fundraising efforts of the Arts & Culture Commission, according to city staff.

Staff recommends the Arts & Culture Commission, after approving the selected pieces for trash can boxes and trash can enclosures, notify the respective artists and work with Public Works on all necessary permitting. Upon completion of the paperwork, artists can begin decorating their sites, which staff anticipates will be completed by summer.
“If the Council agrees to accept the donation of ‘Neptune’s Daughter’ and provides direction to staff to provide a portion of the required funding, staff will return with a recommended funding plan, and proceed with preparing and executing an agreement with the artist,” David Dodd, the library’s director of cultural services, wrote in a report.

Additionally, the commission would work with appropriate agencies, namely the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Review Commission, to ensure correct compliance with any and all regulations.

“Additionally, the Arts & Culture Commission would work to secure whatever its portion of the funds needed as agreed to
by the City Council as a joint venture,” Dodd wrote.

Alternately, the City council can also choose not to proceed with the public art projects described in the staff report or choose not to accept the donation of “Neptune’s Daughter.”

In other business, the  council will hear the General Plan’s Annual Progress Report. Every year, California cities are required to submit an annual report of the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementations to the governor’s planning office. Staff recommends the council accept the 2017  progress report and direct the Planning Division to submit it to Gov. Jerry Brown’s planning office.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 250 East L St. A live stream of the council meeting can also be found online at ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas.

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