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Agenda Item: 3 |
Prepared By: Joan Taylor, City Clerk |
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Business: Workshop |
Department: Executive |
Subject:
Title
City Council Discussion and Direction Regarding a Vietnam-Era Memorial for Veterans Community Park
Body
BACKGROUND:
A proposal is currently being advanced by Lee Rubenstein representing Marco Island American Legion Post 404 to raise funds for the fabrication and installation of a monument to Vietnam-era veterans at Veterans Community Park in Marco Island. (A drawing of this proposed monument is included here.) The purpose of this workshop is to review this proposal, discuss options, and provide direction as to the Council’s preferred path forward.
Below is a capsulized summary of activities-to-date involving the City related to this proposal:
• July 2021 - City Council expressed support for installation of a replica of the Frederick Hart sculpture “The Three Soldiers” at Veterans Community Park (VCP) as proposed by the American Legion, with a $50,000 contribution from the Legion.
• August 2021 - Copyright holder for “The Three Servicemen” sculpture indicated that rights will not be granted for any additional reproductions of that work.
• February 2022 - Commander Rubenstein of the American Legion presented a proposal to the Parks and Recreation advisory committee for a statue of his own design as a replacement for “The Three Servicemen”, in the form of a 9 foot by 10 foot structure on a 2 foot base.
• September 2022 - As an alternative to the proposed statue the City Manager created a working group to develop a “Call to Artists” to solicit interest in the development of a Vietnam-era memorial for Veterans Community Park. Participants included City staff, representatives of American Legion Post 404, and the Executive Director of the Marco Island Center for the Arts.
• February 2023 - A draft Call to Artists (included as Attachment 1) was produced that outlined both the application process for interested artists and the selection criteria and process for selection of the artist and proposed work for Veterans Community Park. City Manager recommended that as a next step attention be paid to funding of the work to help shape the parameters of the selection process.
• July 2023 - American Legion Commander Rubenstein informed the City Manager that due to lack of progress he was withdrawing the Legion from further participation in the Call to Artists process and would proceed on his own.
• August 2023 - American Legion Commander informed City Manager that he had selected a site for his originally proposed statue “near the bathroom building” at VCP and that he intends to engage a general contractor to “update the memorial on that site and solicit bids for the work to be done.”
• August 2023 - City Staff met with representatives of American Legion on-site at VCP to review potential sites for the proposed memorial. Agreement was reached by all parties on an alternative site along the water closer to the southwest corner of VCP.
• September 2023 - Lee Rubenstein informed the City Manager that the previously-agreed-upon site was unsatisfactory, and he intended to have the new memorial placed on his preferred site close to the VCP restrooms.
At the present time Commander Rubenstein is seeking approval to place a to-be fabricated memorial based on the drawing previously submitted (included as attachment 2) on a site close to the VCP restrooms. (New dimensions 11 feet at the base, 10 feet high with a 2-3 foot concrete base.) Multiple presentations have been made to the City’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) seeking a recommendation to be made to City Council. PRAC has not made a recommendation, and given that City Council approval will ultimately be required to move any proposal forward, this workshop has been scheduled to obtain City Council direction.
City staff has raised three issues related to this proposal. First, the site as proposed is currently a stormwater collection area, and placing a new monument there would require significant redesign and reconstruction of the existing stormwater system and existing hardscape. It is staff’s opinion these issues render this specific site cost-prohibitive.
Secondly, the drawing as proposed contains the image of at least one well-established living actor, and there is no indication that rights have been secured to use that image as a part of this work.
Finally and most subjectively is the issue of the artistic merit of the proposal. Staff is certainly not in a position to make this judgement, it was however this issue as articulated by numerous individuals that led to the creation of a call to artists process in the first place, as has been previously described.
Options for the City Council include proceeding with the proposal and a practically available site at VCP, reinitiating a “Call to Artists” process to develop an alternative proposal, or taking no action. Council members made advance alternatives of their own as well.
The initial “Call to Artists” process was put on hold temporarily until some valid estimate could be made as to what the project budget would be, at the request of the City Manager. It would be possible to initiate that process more quickly and address funding later based on the ultimate selection.
FUNDING SOURCE / FISCAL IMPACT: N / A
Estimates for this memorial have varied from $200,000 to $500,000 plus site work. Commander Rubenstein indicates the American Legion has set aside approximately $50,000 previously raised for this purpose. A local fundraising effort has been generally accepted as a legitimate path to secure the additional required funding.
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council discuss the current proposal and available option, including participation from representatives of American Legion Post 404, and determine a preferred direction forward.
POTENTIAL MOTION:
At Council’s discretion.