Fiscal Note
City funding of $10,000 is currently available in the Planning and Community and Economic Development agency (PCED), Project No. 1, "Municipal Art Fund," Acc't No. 810427, which authorizes arts-related expenditures of $100,000. While it is anticipated that most expenditures will not be made until 2015, some activity will occur in 2014, so the Municipal Art Fund project needs to be amended to authorize an additional $140,000 in expenditure authority, offset in full by anticipated revenues derived from private fundraising. The Municipal Art Fund project is will be amended as follows:
$140,000 CE22-58910-810427 Increase Art Expenditures
($140,000) CE22-78545-810427 Increase Revenues from Contributions
Title
SUBSTITUTE - Authorizing the Madison Arts Commission to administer a public art project beneath Campus Drive at the Walnut Street and the Highland Avenue Underpasses, authorizing staff to apply for and accept grant funding and private donations for this project, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into agreements with 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Environmental Design Lab, and others as necessary for this project and amending the 2014 adopted capital budget of PCED as appropriate.
Body
WHEREAS, the Common Council adopted the Public Art Framework and Field Guide for Madison, Wisconsin and recommendations contained in the Framework (Resolution, I.D. 30476) on March 19, 2002; and
WHEREAS, the Framework suggests that establishing community partnerships will allow the Madison Arts Commission (MAC) to work with private businesses and organizations to involve artists in City building; and
WHEREAS, on June 30, 2010, the Regent Neighborhood Association (RNA) held a public design charette that resulted in a vision for the corridor that prioritized creating public art for the two underpasses that connect the neighborhood with the UW-Madison Campus and UW Hospitals; and
WHEREAS, on May 6, 2014 the Common Council Adopted the University Avenue Corridor Plan (File ID 32635) that specifically recommends installing public art in these two underpasses to improve safety, walkability, and aesthetics; and
WHEREAS, in the spring semester of the 2013-2014 academic year, Associate Professor Sam Dennis of UW Madison's Landscape Architecture Department, assigned students a service learning project wherein they researched and created possible arts-based solutions to address neighborhood concerns about the safety, lighting, and walk-a-bility of the underpasses; and
WHEREAS, the resulting student proposals were presented to neighborhood association board members and residents at a meeting of RNA on March 26, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the design work of landscape architecture student Julia Schilling's stood out as having an aesthetically pleasing design solution that also met all the criteria established by the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS on May 28, 2014 the Regent Neighborhood Association also voted to have 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Inc. (1000 Friends) act as the neighborhood's non-profit fiscal receiver for the purposes of raising private funds to help offset the costs of creation and installation of public art for the Walnut and Highland underpasses; and
WHEREAS, on June 10, 2014 MAC considered a presentation by the City Arts Program Administrator, the Executive Director of 1000 Friends, and an RNA representative, asking for support and partnership in creating public art at the Walnut and Highland Underpasses and MAC passed a motion supporting a City administered public art project in those locations; and
WHEREAS, on June 10, 2014 MAC passed a motion to recommend the City provide $10,000 of seed funding for the project from the Municipal Art Fund, with the expectation that 1000 Friends will undertake additional fundraising to pay for all remaining costs including design, fabrication, site preparation, installation, and a maintenance endowment and to work with the UW-Madison Environmental Design Lab, including Professor Sam Dennis and student designer Julia Schilling, who have committed to participating in this service learning experience; and
WHEREAS at their June 28, 2014 RNA voted to support a City managed public art project that includes the artistic direction of the UW-Madison Envronmental Design Lab (EDL) Faculty, Associate Professor Sam Dennis, supervising the work of student Julia Schilling for both the Walnut Street and Highland Avenue underpasses; and
WHEREAS, final City acceptance of the public art piece will occur through a resolution adopted by the Common Council and will include a maintenance endowment for the artworks ongoing care.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Madison Arts Program Administrator is hereby authorized to administer a public art project at the Walnut Street Underpass and the Highland Avenue Underpass beneath Campus Drive.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Madison Common Council authorizes the City Arts Program Administrator to apply for grant funding for this initiative and to work with 1000 Friends in their private fundraising efforts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if awarded grant funding for this initiative, the City of Madison is authorized to accept funding and the Mayor and the City Clerk are authorized to execute related grant contract agreements.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Arts Administrator is hereby authorized to proceed with implementation of this project in consultation with other City staff including Traffic Engineering, City Engineering, Neighborhood Planning, the UW-Madison Environmental Design Lab, UW Facilities and Management, and other stakeholders.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to execute all necessary agreements between the City of Madison, UW-Madison Design Lab and other contractors for the design, fabrication, and installation of public art in the underpasses at Highland Avenue and Walnut Street beneath Campus Drive.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Madison is authorized to expend $10,000 from the Municipal Art Fund to contract with the UW-Madison Environmental Design Lab for design fees associated with this project.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the 2014 capital budget of PCED be amended so that the Municipal Art Fund project is authorized to accept and expend an additional $140,000 of private contributions for this project, and that no expenditures from this additional amount will be made for the project unless private contributions have been realized. offset in full by revenues derived from private contributions.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the City of Madison, through the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development, is authorized to enter into an agreement with and accept up to $140,000 from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Inc. and the National Endowment of the Arts, which, along with a $10,000 match from the Municipal Art Fund, will fund the $150,000 or less art project.