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Douglass Activity Center Mural Project

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Douglass Activity Center Mural Project CITY COMMISSION AGENDA MEMO April 12, 2021 FROM: Wyatt Thompson, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation MEETING: April 20, 2021 SUBJECT: Award Douglass Activity Center Mural Contract (PR1706) PRESENTER: Wyatt Thompson, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation BACKGROUND On December 3, 2019, the City Commission authorized the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a construction contract with Trinium, Inc., of Manhattan, Kansas, for construction of the Douglass Activity Center. The architectural plans, prepared by Bruce McMillan Architects, identified an area within the building for a mural. On October 8, 2020, the Douglass Center Advisory Board reviewed a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for mural installation at the Douglass Activity Center and appointed two members to a Selection Panel. On January 8, 2021, the City of Manhattan published a Request for Proposals for a mural installation at the Douglass Activity Center. The mural is to be approximately 14 feet wide by 11.5 feet high and will be located on the second floor of the newly constructed building. The RFP stated: The mural’s theme should speak to the cultural and historical legacy of the area while celebrating and honoring the strength and resilience of the Black community. The mural should celebrate social justice, the creative cultural landscape, and changing attitudes toward racial equality. This mural will be the pinnacle of the Douglass Activity Center and will instill a sense of pride for the City’s diverse demographic. On March 1, 2021, the City received seven submissions from interested artists. One submission was incomplete and was disqualified. The other six qualifying submissions were shared with a Selection Panel which included members of the Douglass Center Advisory Board, Arts and Humanities Advisory Board, community and business leaders, City staff, and arts administrators. DISCUSSION On March 22, 2021, the Selection Panel met to review each applicant’s work samples and rate each proposal based on the evaluation criteria listed in the RFP. Following the process outlined in the RFP, the Selection Panel ranked the submissions and recommended the top three proposals to the Douglass Center Advisory Board for further consideration. The Selection Panel unanimously rated the submission by EuGene V. Byrd III as their top choice. On April 9, 2021, the Douglass Center Advisory Board met to review the three semi-finalist entries recommended by the Selection Panel. The Douglass Center Advisory Board agreed with the recommendation of the Selection Panel and unanimously recommend to the City Commission the submission by EuGene V. Byrd III as their top choice for the Douglass Activity Center Mural Project. The Advisory Board also requests that the artist’s project statement describing the mural content be installed with the mural as an educational and interpretive element. The proposed mural features several scenes that pay homage to Black history in Manhattan. The artist describes several key features of the mural that “shows changing attitudes toward racial equality in Kansas.” According to the proposal, the mural will pay homage to the Douglass Pool, Black students’ contributions prior to desegregation and Kansas State Black graduates, Benjamin “Pap” Singleton and the Exodusters who migrated to Kansas, the Bethel A.M.E Church, Black veterans, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The mural is to be completed by June 12, 2021 and will be unveiled as part of the 2021 Juneteenth Celebration. FINANCING The proposed cost of the mural installation is $13,500. The original construction proposal by Trinium, Inc. included a $10,000 allowance for mural installation. This amount has been change ordered out of their contract and is available for the Mural Project with the additional $3,500 being paid from the Special Parks and Recreation Fund. In 2020, temporary notes were issued for the total costs for the Douglass Center Activity project with permanent financing to begin in 2024 for 10 years. Payments for the project will come from the Bond and Interest Fund. ALTERNATIVES It appears the Commission has the following alternatives concerning the issue at hand. The Commission may: 1. Accept the recommendation of the Douglass Center Advisory Board and authorize City Administration to finalize and the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an Agreement for Public Art with EuGene V. Byrd III, of Marietta, Georgia, in an amount not to exceed $13,500, for installation of artwork for the Douglass Activity Center Mural Project (PR1706). 2. Deny the recommendation. 3. Modify to meet the needs of the Commission. 4. Table the request. RECOMMENDATION City Administration recommends the City Commission accept the recommendation of the Douglass Center Advisory Board and authorize City Administration to finalize and the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an artist contract with EuGene V. Byrd III, of Marietta, Georgia, in an amount not to exceed $13,500, for installation of artwork for the Douglass Activity Center Mural Project (PR1706). POSSIBLE MOTION Accept the recommendation of the Douglass Center Advisory Board and authorize City Administration to finalize and the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an Agreement for Public Art with EuGene V. Byrd III, of Marietta, Georgia, in an amount not to exceed $13,500, for installation of artwork for the Douglass Activity Center Mural Project (PR1706). Enclosures: 1. Douglass Center Advisory Board April 8, 2021, Draft Minutes 2. Agreement for Public Art MINUTES Douglass Center Advisory Board Thursday, April 8, 2021 Members Present: Debbie Nuss, Constance Birdsong, Maureen Sheahan, and Kevin Bryant Douglass Center Representative: David Baker and Kyliah Kellermann Absent: Blane Hope Guests: Eddie Eastes, Wyatt Thompson, Zachary Bayless, Chief Dennis Butler, Ryan Doehling Motion to approve March 20, 2021 Minutes: Kevin Bryant moved; second Maureen Sheahan; Motion carried 3-0 with 1 abstention Public Comments: Chief Butler updated the committee on crime statistics and two new programs: Safe CAM and the Next-door neighborhood app. Office Ryan Doehling updated on a possible traffic study for the area now that the Activity Center is open. Wyatt Thompson, Assistant Director of Manhattan Parks and Recreation shared the City is working on parking construction design and some of this will be covered to address patron safety and reduce speed. He is working with Public Works. Decision was made to wait until Wyatt completes his work and gets back to the Advisory Board. Directors Report: David Baker thanked everyone who participated in the Douglass Activity Center grand opening as it was a grand success. To date, 191 have signed up for their free access to the facility and 33 have signed up for the fitness area membership. The closing hours were moved to 8:00 p.m. as the Activity Center had seen no used after 7:30 p.m. This allows to adjust the hours of staff and have better coverage. Riley County Health Department will be administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Douglass Center on Friday, April 9, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Dave indicated they would not be able to provide this community service if it had not been for our new facility that allowed the growth to meet meeting our community needs. Advisory Chair Report: Debbie Nuss explained the 3 sections of concern in the Douglass Advisory Board Ordinance Bylaws. 1) Composition of the Board 2) Human Rights Board ex- offico and 3) Advisory Board powers. After much discission, Board members will review the bylaws and discuss at the May meeting. Dave. Baker will make sure that all members receive a copy of the bylaws to review prior to next month’s meeting. Douglass Activity Mural Project: Wyatt Thompson gave an overview of the project and presented the top three entries selected by the committee that was made up of 2 Advisory Board members, Arts and Humanities Council and the community at-large. There were 7 submissions with one being disqualified for not providing required information. The committee selected work by Eugene Byrd III as their first choice, work of Blane Stafford second, and Dan Toro the third choice. Wyatt presented the submissions to the Douglass Center Advisory Board for their recommendation to be taken to the City Commissioners for approval. The Douglass Center Advisory Board unanimously recommended to the City Commission that the artist concept by Mr. Eugene Byrd III be accepted as their ultimate choice. Connie Birdsong made the motion, second by Maureen Sheahan. The vote carried 4-0 for approval. The Advisory Board members requested along with the mural; an artist project statement describing the mural content will also be installed with the mural as an educational/interpretive component. This could include, but not be limited to include broad stroke of the mural content that pays homage to the black history of Manhattan and includes items such as first public black school – first public black swimming pool – Bethel AME Church. The mural will be unveiled on Saturday, June 19, 2021 during the Manhattan Juneteenth Celebration. Other Business: Everybody Counts will occur August 7, 2021 taking into consideration masks and social distancing. Anyone interest in helping this year is more than welcome to attend the meeting from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 27. Next Douglass Advisory Board meeting: Thursday, May 13, 2021, 5:45 p.m. AGREEMENT FOR PUBLIC ARTWORK This Agreement is entered into this day of , 2021, by and between the City of Manhattan, Kansas, a municipal corporation (“City”), and
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