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
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ATTACHMENT C
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