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HomeMy Public PortalAbout12) 7.J. Approval of an Alternative Placement Option for ROsemead Blvd. Tile Mosaic MuralsDATE: TO: FROM: MANAGEMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM November 5, 2013 The Honorable City Council Jose E. Pulido, City Manager AGENDA ITEM 7.J. By: Brian Haworth, Asst. to the City Manager/Econ. Development Manager Chelsea Pitcher, Management Analyst SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF AN ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT OPTION FOR ROSEMEAD BOULEVARD TILE MOSAIC MURALS RECOMMENDATION: The City Council (Council) is requested to direct staff to implement Option 1, which adaptively reuses concrete directories (to be insta lled as part of the Rosemead Boulevard Safety Enhancements and Beautification Project) to accommodate the installation of four tile mosaic murals along Rosemead Boulevard. BACKGROUND: 1. On September 3, 2013, based on recommendation by the Public Arts Commission (Commission), the Council approved agreements with artists Carole Ouejian, Robin Brailsford and Daniel Stern to finalize design concepts, and respectively fabricate four tile mosaic murals, 24 art pavers and two sculptures along Rosemead Bouelvard. 2. On October 2, 2013, the Commission recommended for Council approval the final design concepts for Stern's two sculptures and Brailsford's 24 art pavers with text features. Furthermore, the Commission concurred with staffs recommendation to temporarily cease the final design conceptualization of Oueijan's four tile mosaic murals, as only nine inches of the murals would be visible from underneath their initially proposed seating bench locations. 3. On October 15, 2013, the Council concurred with the Commission's recommendations and approved the final design concepts for Stern's two sculptures and Brailsford's 24 art pavers with text features. Furthermore, Council directed staff to pursue alternative placement options for the installation of Oueijan's four tile mosaic murals and present recommendations for Council consideration at their November 5, 2013 meeting . City Council November 5, 2013 Page 2 of 5 ANALYSIS: In collaboration with the City's public art consultant and representatives of the Rosemead Boulevard Safety Enhancements and Beautification Project (Rosemead Project), staff has prepared the following four options for alternative placement of Oueijan's tile mosaic murals. Qption 1: Adaptive Reuse of Concrete Directories The Rosemead Project calls for five pedestrian-scaled concrete directories (Attachment "A"), but only four have designated locations: three at the Las Tunas Dr./Rosemead Blvd. (Las Tunas/Rosemead) intersection, and one at Pentland St. (Attachment "B"). Already manufactured, these directories are double-sided and intended for enamel panels with illustrative pedestrian wayfinding components. The Commission has recommended repurposing these directories to accommodate the four tile mosaic murals since pedestrian amenities and destinations along Rosemead are limited, and because these types of directories are best used for small-scale environments like downtowns and pedestrian malls. Furthermore, the directories can accommodate murals to provide pedestrian visibility of Oueijan's detailed and intricate artworks that compliment the art walk concept already underway. Contextualizing the art walk concept will require staff to reconfigure directories to create a pedestrian track from the north to south ends of the corridor, and allow them to also serve as storytelling devices from artwork to artwork. This includes the relocation of a directory at Las Tunas/Rosemead to a northern gateway location at Callita St., and installation of the fifth, yet undesignated directory near Broadway (Attachment "C"). Furthermore, a directory near the Mobil gas station at Las Tunas/Rosemead could serve as a placeholder for contextualizing future artworks as part of the planned Las Tunas Safety Enhancements and Beautification Project. Further pros and cons of this alternative are detailed below. PROS: Murals could be installed on one side of the four directories, with the other sides available for enamel panels that bring awareness to and contextualize the art walk and its artworks. Placement of the murals within the directories would be of the same architectural vocabulary as other corridor elements (e.g., landmark monuments), allowing for aesthetic and placemaking consistency. Directory foundations have not been poured; so relocating them to other sites would not have a financial impact to the Rosemead Project budget. City Council November 5, 2013 Page 3 of 5 CONS: Oueijan can begin the design process for final presentation to the Council and Commission by early next year, with murals completed and installed by October 2014. The directories' vertical nature do not allow for an expansive (or horizontal) mural orientation. QpJioo2_:_Construction of Custom Walls Per Councilmember Yu's recommendation-and as part of his comments at the September 27, 2013 Rosemead Boulevard Improvement Project Standing Committee meeting-staff has considered the possibility of constructing custom walls to accommodate the murals. Potential wall locations and dimensions have yet to be determined, as Council direction is needed before pursuing this option. Items for consideration include: PROS: CONS: Walls could be constructed parallel to the corridor for maximum vehicular visibility (shifting the purpose of murals away from pedestrian visibility may be seen as a disadvantage). Walls could be customized to accommodate any number or size of murals. Construction costs for the walls would need to be expended from the tile mosaic mural budget (i.e., $60,000), which significantly limits funds available for actual artworks. Walls may pose safety or public health hazards as they create hiding places. Wall placements will most likely require the City to obtain private property easements or acquisition. Walls may not integrate well with other corridor design components, and most likely require the relocation of newly installed Rosemead Project features, including sprinkler lines and landscaping. Walls would need to be constructed after Rosemead Project completion to accommodate field conditions, thus delaying mural design fabrication and installation until 2015. Option 3: Installation on the Temple City Plaza Monument Sign (K-Mart Center) A spanning, concaved wall at the southwest corner of Las Tunas and Rosemead designates arrival to Temple City Plaza (Plaza). At the recommendation of Gruen City Council November 5, 2013 Page 4 of 5 Associates (i.e., the Rosemead Project designer), it may be feasible to imbed tile murals directly into the curved surface, or into two separate walls constructed on both ends of the Plaza sign facing Las Tunas and Rosemead (Attachment "D"). Advantages and disadvantages of this option are detailed below. PROS: CONS: Placement could maximize vehicular visibility given the site's location at Las Tunas/Rosemead. Artwork could be used as an economic development tool to aesthetically improve the shopping center's brand. Construction costs for new walls would need to be expended from the tile mosaic mural budget (i.e., $60,000), which significantly limits funds available for actual artworks. New walls may obstruct the view and/or accessibility to the adjacent Chevron gas station. Placement on new walls or the existing concaved wall would allow for limited viewing as all murals would be approximately 3% feet tall. Mural placement on the existing concaved wall may be limited so as not to compete with the lettering of the shopping center. Placing significant artwork at the location may lose its impact as other artworks and aesthetic improvements are planned for the adjacent Las Tunas/Rosemead intersection. Walls would need to be constructed after Rosemead Project completion to accommodate field conditions, thus delaying mural design, fabrication and installation until 2015. Artwork placement is contingent upon securing a private property easement from the owner of Chevron gas station. Option 4;_Reevaluate Mural Placement After Rosemead Project QQI11Jlletion The Council may consider reevaluating tile mosaic mural placement until March 2014, when a majority of Rosemead Project improvements are completed. Pros and cons of this option are provided below. PROS: Allows for a visual assessment of artwork 1n relation to already installed Rosemead corridor elements. City Council November 5, 2013 Page 5 of 5 CONS: Mural design and fabrication commences in June 2014, with installation by March 2015. Artwork installation may require unplanned and unbudgeted foundation work in sidewalks to support new walls or signs constructed for artwork placement. The Council and Commission would still have to determine placement locations, if any. The Council is requested to consider Option 1. Approval of the remaining options is not recommended, as they will further delay the mural component, and disrupt staff from instituting more pressing public art initiatives including the upcoming Percent for Art Fee Ordinance, development of the inaugural Public Arts Annual Plan, and a new Art in the Park component. Furthermore, the Commission is expected to begin identifying public art opportunities for Las Tunas Dr., which has been identified as a top priority in expanding the City's Arts in Public Places Program. Finally, the Rosemead Project Engineer (i.e., Trans Tech) confirmed that any potential delays caused by change orders or halts in construction would have unanticipated financial implications to the Rosemead Project budget. CONCLUSION: Staff and the Public Arts Commission recommend Option 1, as the concrete directories are the only placement alternative that allows contextualization of the art walk theme, and is aesthetically uniform to other design elements of the corridor. Furthermore, the vertical orientation of directory signs resolves primary visibility issues, allowing for a pedestrian's front face contact with Oueijan's delicate and detailed craftsmanship. FISCAL IMPACT: Pursuing Option 1 poses no financial impact to the Fiscal Year 2013-14 City Budget and existing Rosemead Project budget. Options 2 through 4 will have some fiscal impact, but the exact amount is unknown as labor and construction costs are speculative at best. ATTACHMENTS: A Concrete Directories B. Initially Planned Concrete Directory Locations C. Proposed Concrete Directory Relocations D. Temple City Plaza Site Perspective Concrete Directory: Conceptual Rendering Side1 CONCEPTUAL ATTACHMENT A Side2 CONCEPTUAL Ill s:::: 0 :g u tl: l V) ~ ~ CLl ... b ~ ... u s:::: 0 u 0 w 0 ~ w ~ m ~ 0 ~ c~ ~ " " ~ol§ ~~" ~ ~~~ g~~ 8 8o':'!. t;;~~ ! "'~w @6~ ~ 1H~ ~ ~:r:~ ~~g " m t-z w ~ J: u ~ ~ (/) c 0 ·-+' ctS u 0 ..J ~ 0 +' u (1) :..... ·-c Q) +' Q) :..... u c 0 u "'C Q) c c ctS -0.. ~ -ctS ·-+' ·-c - s:::: 0 ~ u Q) 1/) :1... Q) ~ s:::: 1/) ItS s:::: ~ 1/) ItS ...J '+- 0 ~ Q) ·:; :1... Q) 1/) 0 -u ~ (6 ~~ ~ ~ ~!J.1~t:>:l?o./llt;> l.io1~ ~ ''r} Proposed Concrete Directory Relocations Closer view of Las Tunas Intersection: ~~~~ <t;,:?J.'-0~ .;: 0 ~ c Ill c: ItS ~ :g ...1 ATTACHMENT C Legend: Original Oi r&etory Placement Sth Undesignated Directory I Shopping Center I Seating Node/Sculpture J Bus Shelter ::g m ..0 ·.::: m C) c ..... z w ~ J: u ~ ~ Q) > ~ Q) a. (/) :lo.. Q) a. 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