Staff seeks policy to govern memorials and public art; Parks Advisory Board to review draft

Public Works Director Jennifer Ward presented a draft policy to guide memorials and public art in city parks and public spaces and asked the committee for feedback before sending the draft to the Parks Advisory Board and then to the full council.

Ward said staff has received multiple requests this year for murals, memorial sculptures and other public art but lacked consistent criteria on selection, location, maintenance and decommissioning. The draft policy would require sponsors to plan for ongoing maintenance, disallow content involving profanity or imagery tied to gangs or hate groups, and give the city authority to remove artwork that becomes unsafe or goes unmaintained. The draft borrows language from the city’s existing mural code (cited in the packet as sections roughly 8.900–8.93) and cross-references the code’s maintenance and removal authority.

Committee members supported having a policy but raised questions about where decision authority should reside. Some members favored a two-step approach: Parks Advisory Board review with the ability to recommend denial or to forward proposals to council for final approval, and a council work session before the policy is finalized. Members also asked staff to tighten inconsistent language in the draft about whether the Parks Advisory Board has final approval or is only a recommending body.

Ending: Staff will submit the draft to the Parks Advisory Board, incorporate councilor feedback and return the revised policy to the council in a future work session; the committee did not approve a final policy at the meeting.