Pleasanton commissions recommend City Council approve Don Lewis ‘Harmonic Symphony’ public art project

Pleasanton’s Parks and Recreation Commission and Civic Arts Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council approve the Don Lewis Harmonic Symphony public art project’s conceptual design, proposed location at DeLuqui Park and related budget amendments for art acquisition and installation.

The recommendation asks Council to transfer $100,000 from the Harrington art fund (bringing the art-acquisition budget for this project to $110,000, after a previously allocated $10,000) and to allocate $60,000 in county park-dedication fees for installation costs. The commissions made the recommendation by motion; commissioners recorded affirmative votes during a roll-call that concluded with the motion approved.

Why it matters: commissioners and public speakers said the interactive, pentatonic-scale instruments will be family-friendly, complement existing park programming and honor Pleasanton musician Don Lewis. Project supporters said the installation is expected to draw residents and visitors to the DeLuqui Park area during concerts and market events without generating disruptive noise.

Staff presentation and funding: City staff explained the money requested is already donated but must be formally allocated before the department can spend it. “We’re basically asking you to recommend council move it from the savings account to the checking account so we can spend it,” said Heidi (staff member). The Harrington fund balance was described in the meeting as about $137,000 total, with $10,000 already earmarked for acquisitions; commissioners were asked to recommend moving an additional $100,000 into an acquisition account. Staff also asked that $60,000 of county park-dedication fees be allocated for installation expenses.

Public comment and artistic intent: Les Duman, vice president of the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council, spoke in support and described the musical design. “You cannot make a bad sound on it — it’s based on the pentatonic scale,” Duman said, adding that Lewis helped put Pleasanton on the musical map and that the installation would be a draw for families and visitors. Commissioners noted the artist’s prior public works and discussed scale, materials and placement to ensure ADA access and compatibility with nearby concert programming.

Cost and artist selection: Commissioners and staff said the artist — identified in the presentation as Tony Stendhire of Mountain Forge — has built similar public pieces; commissioners referenced past works with per-piece costs in the $60,000–$80,000 range. Staff said the commission is being asked to approve the concept, location and budget authorization so the artist will travel to site-visit and provide a formal fabrication quote. A vendor quote for the musical instruments was presented in the meeting as “just a little bit under” $40,000 (vendor name referenced in the meeting as Freenotes); staff said if final costs exceed the current allocation they will return to Council to request additional funds.

Site and design details: The planned installation includes a central “maestro” sculpture and six tuned public instruments (contrabass chimes, manta-ray chimes, metalphone, harp, pagoda bell and lily-pad elements). The commission discussed siting the work along the new pathway in DeLuqui Park, extending a concrete pad from the existing pathway, and using concrete finishes to subtly suggest keyboard imagery rather than using multiple concrete colors. Commissioners emphasized the placement should not disrupt the Lions Wayside Park concert audience and should provide an additional, accessible musical plaza for park visitors.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner Coleman Knight moved that the commissions recommend City Council approve the Don Lewis Harmonic Symphony conceptual design, proposed location and budget amendments for art acquisition and installation; the motion was seconded (second: not specified in the record) and adopted by roll call. The commissions recorded unanimous affirmative responses during the roll call. The recommendation will be transmitted to City Council; staff will seek a fabrication quote from the artist and, if required, return to Council for any additional funding requests.

Supporters and donors: Commissioners and speakers publicly thanked Nancy and Gary Harrington for the donor fund used to acquire the work, and Julie Lewis (Don Lewis’s widow) provided written support noted in the record. Commissioners also discussed outreach and a likely celebratory opening once fabrication and installation timelines are finalized.