Public Arts Commission plans community engagement and school outreach for Esperanza Park public art

The Public Arts Commission on Jan. 14 discussed next steps to obtain neighborhood input for public art at Esperanza Park and asked staff to schedule a subcommittee meeting and community outreach sessions with local schools and neighborhood stakeholders.

Anne, a city staff member, told commissioners the commission needs a concrete calendar and logistics for town‑hall style engagement and suggested the schools be asked to host sessions because they provide the largest neighborhood facility. "We do need to take action on getting something calendared to talk to the community about this," Anne said. She recommended identifying school availability, arranging translation services and considering a third‑party facilitator for impartial input collection to be included in the artist request for proposals (RFP).

Commissioners agreed to form a short meeting of the subcommittees from the Public Arts Commission and the Parks & Community Events Commission to map outreach logistics and timing. Commissioners also discussed inviting student artwork as a way to engage families and generate ideas for artists; staff suggested collecting youth and adult input to include in the RFP so submitting artists could see community priorities.

Staff advised commissioners that a proposed not‑to‑exceed budget will be required before forwarding an RFP to City Council; commissioners agreed to develop a recommended budget and make it an agenda item at the next meeting. Public Works has planned basic utilities and base surfaces for the park, but staff said final artwork base costs might need to be included in the artist contract if the artwork will be selected after construction is complete.

The item was informational and for discussion only; no formal action was taken. Staff committed to scheduling the subcommittee meeting and returning to the commission with a proposed outreach timeline and a budget recommendation for council consideration.