Council Approves $400,000 for Public Art

The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night voted unanimously to spend up to $400,000 of uncommitted money in the Public Art Trust Fund to fund two major art projects, allocating up to $200,000 per project for artwork that honors the city's centennial and another art project that will be part of the new library. 

The Public Art Trust Fund, established in 2002, is generated by a fee of 1% placed on all building costs for: residential buildings of four or more units; commercial or industrial buildings costing $500,000 or more, or remodels of such buildings costing $250,000 or more. According to city staff Tuesday night, on average, $50,000 is collected each year, and staff expects that amount to be collected each year in the immediate future.

The public art funds have to be committed to a project within five years or returned to the development's owner, according to a staff report.

The current balance in the fund is $369,433 with an uncommitted balance of $304,376, and $60,000 committed to pay for a permanent art piece and benches along The Strand, according to staff. 

At the Nov. 4 meeting of the Cultural Arts Commission, the commission agreed to recommend the purchase of a commissioned or already existing art piece reflecting the centennial, at a cost between $150,000 and $200,000.

After that meeting, a committee of the Cultural Arts Commission met with the county and learned that the city could contribute to the county's existing art contribution of $100,000 to $130,000, and subsequently recommended that the city add up to $200,000. 

The centennial art is intended to be installed and dedicated in December, the city's actual centennial month, with initial artwork selection completed by May. The date for completion of the library art has not been determined. , "Plans call for the demolition of the current building to start Jan. 31, 2013, and for the new library's grand opening to be on New Year's Eve of 2014.

Before voting to approve, Council member David Lesser expressed concern that there was insufficient information from staff, that council did not know enough to make a decision. Council member Amy Howorth expressed disapproval at being rushed when considering such a large amount of money.

Questions concerned the art selection process; when payments would be due; competing art projects; when the five years would be up for portions of the money in the fund.

Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Powell questioned the process. “Normally you send out RFPs, requests for proposals, before agreeing on price,” he said. 

Mayor Nick Tell advised going ahead by committing to the projects with money not to exceed the $200,000 per project amounts. “The money is sitting there and it is actually difficult to find projects to warrant such expenditures. Now we have them. Staff can provide answers concerning process. We just need to commit or not.”    

Council member Richard Montgomery concurred, and requested that decisions concerning the art selection be left to the Cultural Arts Commission and the artists they choose to consult, with input from the public.

At the end of the discussion, all voted to the expenditure with the request that staff fill in the gaps with answers concerning the process.

Editor's Note (updated at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4): Council member David Lesser and Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Powell represent city council on the Los Angeles County Civic Art Project committee, which was established to review art for the County’s M.B. Library Project, and not MB's Cultural Arts Commission as was previously stated in the article above.