The city plans to work with public art consulting firm Via Partnership to source potential artists for the projects.
The overview
Richardson passed an ordinance in 2015 that allows for up to 2% of general obligation bond funds to cover the cost of public art for a project, according to a council memo. Several city facilities, including the senior center and Heights Park, have public art sourced Via Partnership.
Using 2021 bond funds, Via co-founder Meridith McKinley presented four locations for long-lasting public projects across the city.
McKinley said a request for artists to submit applications will be issued soon for the fire station, library and animal shelter. Another request for the City Hall project will be issued in about a year.
By the numbers
Proposed budgets for the expected projects include:
- Fire Station No. 5: $75,000
- Animal shelter: $48,900
- Richardson Public Library: $560,000
- City Hall: $1.32 million
“What we would like to do is really integrate the public art conversation into the ongoing community engagement and design process so that we can come up with a set of goals for art and specifically identify those opportunities,” McKinley said.
What’s next?
City Council will have a group of finalists submit concept proposals prior to the selection of a project. Concept plans for the fire station, the library and the animal shelter are expected to be selected in 2024. Plans for the City Hall are expected to be chosen in 2025.
Because the Sept. 18 meeting was a work session, no artist or artwork was selected.
