The Madison City Public Arts Commission voted to relocate the sculpture “Ties That Bind” from its current location in Lytle Park to the parking-lot side of the forthcoming heritage trail, following a presentation and brief discussion at the meeting.

Commissioners and staff said the new placement will situate the piece near the railroad and an interpretive panel, giving it historical context and visibility. Commissioner (speaker 4) moved to approve the relocation “as indicated in the presentation,” and Commissioner (speaker 2) seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

The commission and staff described several technical and planning details discussed before the vote. According to staff, the sculpture’s concrete base was poured with rebar and is connected to an underlying pad, so removal will require cutting around the existing base. Staff said the piece will likely be set on a slightly higher elevation at the new site—both to align visually with the parking lot and trailhead and to discourage climbing. They said the city will work with the artist on positioning and any modifications to the pedestal or mounting when the sculpture is moved.

Staff indicated the move is a longer-term project tied to the heritage-trail work. The meeting record states a trail groundbreaking is scheduled for Aug. 14, and staff said relocating the sculpture before that date would be “ambitious”; they estimated completion of the relocation around the following spring. Commissioners said the sculpture fits better with the railroad-related interpretive materials planned for the trailhead.

No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript; the motion passed on a voice vote. The commission instructed staff to coordinate with the artist and to address site elevation, pedestal work and interpretive signage as part of relocation planning.

The relocation was described during the agenda item on public-art siting and brought to a vote during the same meeting. Staff said benches and trash receptacles included in the drawings are new and that the sculpture will face the parking lot and the railroad, so it is visually rooted in the trailhead setting.

The commission did not specify a firm budget or contractor for the work at the meeting; those details were not provided in the discussion.