TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Eilen Stewart, Cultural Arts Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Request by the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation to Place a Donor Appreciation Community Recognition Wall in Metlox Plaza; Allocate up to $2,000 Annually From the Public Arts Trust Fund for Maintenance; and if Approved, Delegate Authority to the City Manager to Execute Agreement (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
(Estimated Time: 30 Min.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction for the request by the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF) to place a donor appreciation community recognition wall in Metlox Plaza; allocate up to $2,000 annually from the Public Arts Trust Fund (PATF) for maintenance of artwork; and if approved, delegate authority to the City Manager to execute an agreement.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
MBEF is seeking funds from Los Angeles County and other local partners to cover the costs associated with the donor wall. The total cost of the mural is estimated to be $114,000. MBEF is fully funding the cost of installation of the artwork, new lighting and landscaping, permits, and installation of new donor plaques as needed. MBEF is asking the City to contribute up to $2,000 annually from the Public Arts Trust Fund to maintain the artwork.
BACKGROUND:
Staff received a proposal from MBEF in September 2019 for a donor wall in the community, called an “Endowment Tree,” to highlight donors who contribute to MBEF. Staff met with MBEF to evaluate design and location options for the donor wall. The proposal is to place an “Endowment Tree” in Metlox Plaza on the east-facing wall (approximately 30' x 12') that connects the Waterleaf storefront to the location of the weekly Farmers Market.
Hilary Mahan, MBEF Executive Director, presented the MBEF proposal to the City Council on March 17, 2020. City Council approved the location of the donor wall in Metlox Plaza at that time.
On April 19, 2022, MBEF returned to City Council with the final rendering of the proposed artwork and a request for funding from the PATF in the amount of $39,000 plus $3,000 annually for maintenance. City Council voiced concerns regarding the request for funding as well as the inclusivity of the planned donor recognition.
DISCUSSION:
To address concerns raised by City Council on April 19, 2022, the MBEF Board approved the following adjustments to their proposal.
1. Retract the request for monetary support with the exception of annual maintenance including irrigation not to exceed $2,000
2. Increase sections of art tiles by 20% and 10%
3. Add inclusive statement for all the community - “Dedicated to all of the educators, parents, students, volunteers, and donors who value and support education.”
4. Distribute the tiles so that all stakeholders are mixed throughout
5. Reduce the thickness of the metal art frames to 1 inch
6. Add more sea life imagery to the pelican mural
7. Add eight small textured color tiles among the donor tiles
If approved, MBEF will coordinate with the artist and installer to complete the installation, including the following: three aluminum frame panels to support larger artwork pieces, all artwork elements, replacing and wiring a new lighting fixture, replanting new drought tolerant vegetation with appropriate irrigation system, and repainting the wall behind the mural.
The larger decorative mural compositions will be installed atop the aluminum subpanels. The smaller ovals with donor names are installed directly into the drywall using drywall hardware. As donor names need to be changed/updated, MBEF will be responsible for supplying the oval plaques and installing them at the site.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction for the MBEF request to place a donor appreciation community recognition wall in Metlox Plaza and allocate funds for ongoing maintenance.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
This item was presented to the Cultural Arts Commission (CAC) on February 7, 2022. The CAC supported the concept of a community recognition artwork and endorsed the artistic merit of the proposed artwork. Several Commissioners shared that an alternate site should be considered for this piece and expressed their preference that the mural be installed in a location more closely located and related to the Manhattan Beach Union School District main office or at one of the schools.
This item was reviewed by City Council at the April 19, 2022, meeting.
MBEF reached out to the Tolkin Group as well as the Zislis Group who were both in support of this project and did not see an issue with the approved location.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The proposed installation of a donor wall/mural in Metlox Plaza is Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines (Existing Facilities), which exempts minor alterations of existing public or private structures, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. Furthermore, there are no features that distinguish this project from others in the exempt class; therefore, there are no unusual circumstances.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. PowerPoint Presentation (MBEF)