The Mount Vernon City Council approved the art trail project between the Parks and Recreation and Mount Vernon Area Arts Council in a 2-1 vote, with Paul Tuerler dissenting. Council members Debra Herrmann and Craig Engel were absent.
Bob Campagna, president of the Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Commission, said the idea was one that came from a community in Colorado.
“This was inspired by the Benson Sculpture Garden,” Campagna said. “The parks and recreation commission were having a simple discussion on repairs to a section of trail, and we got on to potentially being a location that would be ideal for a sculpture for a trail project.”
Campagna said that sculpture trail was a draw for the community he previously lived in, and sees that as a possibility for Mount Vernon as well, to boost the uptown businesses..
“This is one of those things people come to communities to take part on these trails, and a lot of people benefit from more people being in here,” Campagna said.
The project would be located in Nature Park and Elliott Fields area of trails. The group will begin with one sculpture, and expand from there.
The cost to the city is a $10,000 commitment over the next four years. The Area Arts Council will supply an additional $5,000 each year.
Campagna said the commission has no specification of what the sculpture will look like, as they’re still in design phase, and a commission will review the proposals.
Council member Scott Rose asked if there were issues with vandalism in the park in Colorado, and Campagna said minimal. He also noted it was a point of community pride, and something people saw value for protecting.
Marie DeVries, president of the Mount Vernon Area Arts Council, said the first $10,000 commitment by the city opens up grant opportunities for the commission to pursue.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said he would like the Mount Vernon City Council to have final approval of any public art to be installed, especially since this would be on ground owned by the city.
Nosbisch also asked for MVAAC to clarify where their portion of funding for this project came from.
DeVries said that city’s funding of the Arts Council goes toward supporting the Chalk the Walk, story time and a few other programs the commission brings in, as well as the Poet Laureate program. The commission’s funding for this project comes from their own fundraising efforts, which generates more than $7,000 annually.
The $10,000 for the project from the city would come from the Local Option Sales and Service Tax portion designated for the trails fund.
That funding was what Tuerler had an issue with, noting that he felt that money should be designated for maintaining the trails, not beautification.
Nosbisch said because this was discussed by parks and recreation and the Arts Commission as a potential use for those funds this year, he was okay with the commitment coming from that fund this year, and the item can be reviewed for next fiscal year during the budget process.