Title
Recommendation to select either Washington Park or the Aquatic Center as a location for a future physical Public Art RFQ.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Public Art Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda Public Art Master Plan (2023) called for the identification and prioritization of sites in the City for Physical Public Art to be commissioned by the City and funded by the City’s Public Art Fund. In spring 2024, Jack Denham Conroy, a CivicSpark Fellow, began supporting the Public Art Program. Over the course of two years, his project work was centered on identifying and prioritizing these sites. The research study focused on documenting the location of existing Public Art in the City, both private and public artworks owned by the City, administering community surveys about Public Art, and developing a methodology to prioritize sites across the following criteria; visibility, accessibility, environmental suitability, safety, and community input.
In 2024, over 300 Alamedans responded to a City-wide poll on the location for future physical public art in the City. These survey responses informed a short list of five primary sites for future physical public art. Of the five primary sites, the PAC selected three top sites: Washington Park, Neptune Park, and the Main Street Ferry Terminal. Due to sea level rise, flood inundation and discontinuation of ferry service, both Neptune Park and the Main Street Ferry Terminal were ruled out as potential sites for physical art. Washington Park was deemed the most suitable and was selected as the location for the City’s next physical art grant call and staff dedicated time and resources to prepare to launch the RFQ in November, 2025.
However, the RFQ was not released, as the Public Art Commission remained interested in the Alameda Aquatic Center as a possible location. At the October 20, 2025 PAC meeting, Vice Chairperson Platzgummer motioned to pause the Physical Public Art RFQ process at Washington Park to January 2026, at which time the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) anticipated they would know the job valuation of the Alameda Aquatic Center, the Public Art Requirement (1% of the total job valuation) and how they would fulfill the requirement. Commissioner Lisa Martin seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-2 with Commissioners Platzgummer, Lisa Martin, and Ferguson voting in favor and Chairperson Rush and James Martin voting against it.
Of note, the PAC had considered the Alameda Aquatic Center. At the December 2024 PAC meeting, Pat Russi, ARPD Recreation Supervisor presented the Alameda Aquatic Center as a possible site for future physical public art. Commissioners raised concerns that the Aquatic Center project was so far away from breaking ground and they wanted physical art realized sooner. The Alameda Aquatic Center was added to the research study, and after weighted, the location did not make it to the top five locations.
The bidding process for the construction of the Alameda Aquatic Center took longer than anticipated. On August 26, 2026, ARPD notified staff that a construction firm was selected and the valuation for the Alameda Aquatic Center is $28,628,000, making the Public Art Requirement $286,280 under the Public Art Policy. ARPD informed the public art staff that the project is millions of dollars over budget and that the Public Art Requirement is cost prohibitive as the City has had to allocate additional General Fund resources to complete the Aquatic Center Project without this requirement. For this reason, ARPD has requested that Public Art staff consider a full exemption from the Public Art requirement. An exemption must be approved by Council. ARPD is still interested in the Aquatic Center serving as a site for the next Physical Public Art RFQ; they simply do not have means to fund the artwork.
Now that the Alameda Aquatic Center job valuation and Public Art Requirement are known, staff is requesting the PAC select and commit to either the Washington Park or the Alameda Aquatic Center for the City’s next Physical Public Art RFQ. Of note, the Alameda Aquatic Center construction is underway and is projected to complete in May, 2028. The Physical Public Art RFQ will likely launch late summer, 2027. Should the PAC select the Alameda Aquatic Center, ARPD has asked that they be notified so that they can include the artwork in their construction plans.
BACKGROUND
Briefly introduce the subject matter.
DISCUSSION
Staff have included an overview of the opportunities each site presents for Public Art:
Alameda Aquatic Center
As presented in December 2024, the Alameda Aquatic Center ranked well in the location scoring spreadsheet due to several factors:
• High visibility from walking/biking trails
• Opportunities to integrate public art into the construction process and leverage resources
• Emphasis of Alameda Recreation and Park Department programming on equity, allowing a greater diversity of Alamedans to access and enjoy public art
• Opportunities for cross departmental collaboration between Economic Development and Alameda Recreation and Park Department
Of note, the Alameda Aquatic Center was not included in the City-wide survey. It was not presented to the PAC as a possible location for future public art until it was presented at the December 2024 PAC meeting.
Washington Park
Located on Alameda’s west end, Washington Park scored second in the overall location ranking of the forty-one original sites and was also ranked second by the 311 respondents who took the community survey. Washington Park was voted by the PAC as a primary location for several reasons:
• High multimodal visibility
• High geographic equity increasing the reach of physical art around the island
• Opportunities for cross departmental collaboration between Economic Development and Alameda Recreation and Park Department
• Varied uses at Washington Park allow for diverse audiences to engage in Public Art
• Strong community support
Staff encourage the Public Art Commission to consider the multi-year research that has gone into prioritizing sites for future physical art and select one of these sites to avoid further delays of the Physical Public Art RFQ.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation to select either Washington Park or the Aquatic Center as a location for a future physical Public Art RFQ.
Respectfully submitted,
Dwayne Dalman, Economic Development Manager
By,
Jackie Keliiaa, Development Manager, Secretary