The City Council voted at its May 20 meeting to approve the purchase and temporary installation of a commemorative sculpture for the city’s 25th anniversary celebration, with plans to relocate it to the Main Street roundabout once the improvement plan for that site is approved.
Community Development Program Manager Jessica Murdock told the council the project stems from the $100,000 the council allocated last year for the anniversary celebration. Murdock, who chairs the anniversary committee, said the city issued a call to artists in February but received two proposals that did not meet the project scope. Staff then contacted additional sculptors and metal artists directly.
Executive Administrative Assistant April Homme said the city is working under tight timelines and could not conduct another full call to artists. She said staff contacted hundreds of artists before identifying two workable options: a 9-foot bronze rearing horse from Art of Bronze in Camarillo, California, for $21,000, and a steel installation from local artist Twisted Steel that includes a fabricated rock base, a bighorn sheep, an eagle, a cowboy hat representing the Vaqueros, and three or four “F” pieces visible from each approach to the roundabout.
Homme said the bronze horse will weigh between 675 and 800 pounds and will be reinforced with internal steel piping. The Twisted Steel installation would sit on a 60-by-96-inch platform.
The city would provide a 30-foot flagpole and flag with solar lighting. If the sculpture is later moved to the roundabout, a concrete pad would be installed beneath it. Homme said Twisted Steel is working to find a contractor willing to donate the concrete pad.
The Twisted Steel project is estimated at $15,000 and would not exceed $17,000 with the addition of the eagle. Both pieces would be fabricated so they could be relocated with minimal difficulty.
Homme said the city did not release a rendering of the sculpture because officials want to unveil it July 1 during the 25th anniversary celebration.
Staff recommended temporarily placing the sculpture at the Main Street Art Park for the July 1 unveiling. Homme said the existing concrete pad at the park, where the bottle-cap gazebo once stood, cannot support the weight of the installation. As a result, the sculpture would be placed adjacent to the pad and constructed so it could be moved if relocation to the roundabout is approved.
Council members asked whether the project remained within the $100,000 anniversary budget. Murdock confirmed it does.
The council approved the commemorative sculpture, its temporary installation at the Art Park, and its future relocation to the roundabout upon approval of the improvement plan. The motion also authorized payment of the $21,000 invoice for the bronze horse and approved up to $17,000 for the Twisted Steel project. The vote was 4-0.
Homme also announced that commemorative 25th anniversary coins would be available for preorder beginning June 1. Fifty .999 fine silver coins will be sold for $250 each, and 250 silver-plated coins will be sold for $35 each. Orders must be paid for by June 22.
During the 25th Anniversary Committee meeting on May 27, Murdock said the coin prices were based on the city’s cost because the city is not permitted to make a profit from their sale.
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