Can you define art for me?
Good question said Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith- DeCoux to council member Kelli Swearingen.
Swearingen’s query came during council’s April 11 meeting when the talk turned to whether the city could benefit from an advisory arts council. In the not-too-distant past, several works of art have been donated to the town or the city’s recreation park. But what to do with those pieces and where to place them was hard for members of boards – who knows little about public art – to decide.
To Swearingen’s question, the mayor explained that as a group, the Creative Economy Collaborative (CEC), has been meeting monthly for the last couple of years. Its members include artists of all stripes, painters, potters, poets, musicians, dancers, and representatives from the playhouse, Visit Cook County, Grand Marais Art Colony, and local businesses.
CEC has been working on ways the community can improve the “viability of art as a career in our area, and create suggestions for how the city could create a governing body or commission to oversee public art and other art-related aspects of public life.”
CEC has asked the city to consider forming an arts commission for the town or empower the CEC group to act as an arts advisory board to city departments.
An arts commission would be parallel to other city-appointed commissions and would meet monthly to discuss all art-related topics and different situations that have an art aspect to them. This body would handle public art development throughout the city and potentially a wide variety of other considerations.
An arts advisory board would have a city council member on it and act as an advisory to city departments and report monthly to the city council.
Over the last two years, CEC has formed a comprehensive plan, laying out its vision and values. They are: Support and enhance local business; encourage the expansion of sustainable energy use; develop access to housing that all people can afford throughout their lives; expand education of the mind, body, and soul; invest in safe, people friendly infrastructure that supports active living and enhance the community’s deep connection to the outdoors and active engagement with the environment.
Arrowsmith-DeCoux said other cities and towns have arts councils, and he mentioned Grand Rapids as one of those places.
The Grand Rapids Arts Council (GRAC) is a volunteer organization “offering many opportunities in the visual and performing arts for people of all ages,” declares its homepage.
GRAC’s mission statement is simple and to the point. GRAC exists “To create, nurture, and sustain an artistic and cultural environment in the Otsego area which encourages creative expression, brings our communities together and promotes the arts.”
Councilor Tim Kennedy said he would need more information about of how other communities function with arts advisory boards. “We need to have a better understanding of what we want before we decide anything,” Kennedy said.
Arrowsmith-DeCoux promised to come back to the council shortly with more information for the board. . Grand Marais fire chief Ben Silence went before the board and talked about the upcoming live burn training that will take place at the old Tomteboda Motel on the hill located next to the new city public works building.
Before the building can be used for training, asbestos must be removed. Council approved a bid not to exceed $8,917.92 for Environmental Trouble Shooters.
The Duluth firm will remove approximately 200 square feet of linoleum and five feet of chimney paper, as well as an undetermined amount of foam/wall adhesive located in the crawl space.
Silence said only a portion of the building would be burned, with part of the building nearest to town left intact. He said the crew in training would start and stop the fire repeatedly through much of the day. It’s not too often the local volunteer firefighters can get live fire training on a building, added Silence.
Soon after the building has been burned, a demolition crew will be hired to remove the debris, said the mayor. . Council approved a beer and wine license for Dockside Fish Market. Stephen and Ellen Frank of Brainerd will lease Dockside from North House Folk School. . Council discussed the summer 2019 Highway 61 amenity prioritization list.
The city has received a TAP grant for $750,000 (which includes a 20 percent match), plus $100,000 street reconstruction funds, $100,000 from the general fund (possible park capital contribution) and a $150,000 MnDOT streetlight contribution.
While the funding for amenities tops out at over $1 million, that is not enough money to pay for all the items presently on the list.
The city also received a 2 percent Department of Transportation amenities contribution of $40,000. Those dollars must be spent on the inside of the right of way. TAP funds can be spent in or outside of the right of way.
The community was invited to several public meetings and asked for their input on features and upgrades for the Highway 61 corridor. Those recommendations now make up the bulk of items on the amenities list, but what should be left on or off and what should be put aside until there are more funds to (potentially) add them back, has to be decided shortly.
To help winnow the requests, Arrowsmith- DeCoux suggested council grade items as either highly important to not very important.
On June 4 there will be a review meeting of the refined amenity design list and costs. By July 9 the city has to make some decisions on a final amenity list with a late August meeting scheduled for further review; a final decision about roadside amenities must be made by September 26.
The city has hired C.J. Fernandez, an architect who has worked for both the city and county in the past, to draw up the final plans.
So far putting in benches and pedestrian lights tops the amenities list, said Arrowsmith- DeCoux. Other projects to consider include public art, 75 trees, shrubs and plants, kiosks, pedestrian ramps, more parking, bike racks, enhanced paving at key intersections, and a new entry way and sign for the recreation park.
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