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Council directs staff to place donated "Dancing Monarchs" sculpture at Lovers Point circle
Summary
After reviewing several candidate sites, council members directed staff to place the donated Dancing Monarchs sculpture in the paved circular plaza at Lovers Point (intersection of Forest and Ocean View) and asked public works to return with permitting, mounting, lighting and monitoring plans.
The Pacific Grove City Council on Sept. 3 provided direction to accept and place the donated “Dancing Monarchs” glass and stainless steel sculpture at the central paved circle at Lovers Point (below the Forest/Ocean View intersection).
The donation, offered by Jan and John Stewart and created by artist Peter Hazel, is described in the staff report as a fused‑glass monarch installation on a stainless‑steel vine roughly 12 feet tall by 6 feet in diameter. Staff presented a range of potential sites, including in front of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (museum), the paved circle at Lovers Point, a planter box near the Beach House restaurant, Perkins Park by the seawall, City Hall plaza and the Lighthouse/early welcome median.
Staff’s analysis listed pros and cons for each site. Staff favored the museum location for proximity to the museum’s monarch education programs and perceived monitoring advantages; donors expressed a strong preference for a coastal location and specifically for a site with ocean backdrop and wide viewing. The council discussed tradeoffs among visibility, coastal backdrop, vandalism risk and view preservation. Several commenters supported placement at Lovers Point, noting it would become a focal meeting point and photo site; others preferred the museum for direct educational ties.
Staff reported the narrowest diameter of the paved circle at Lovers Point is about 20 feet and that the sculpture’s base footprint is modest; the sculpture’s upper elements extend above pedestrian height. Council members asked staff to plan for protection from vandalism and weather and suggested solar lighting or solar‑powered cameras to improve nighttime visibility and discourage vandalism. Staff reminded the council that the Lovers Point sites are within the coastal zone and will require coastal permit review for pedestal, fencing, lighting or camera installations.
The council moved and seconded a motion to place the sculpture at the Lovers Point paved circle and directed the Public Works Director to return with required details including mounting, lighting, fencing/cameras, coastal permitting and maintenance responsibilities. Donor Jan Stewart affirmed the donor preference for a near‑coastal, open viewing location and expressed support for public viewing from multiple angles.
The council did not finalize detailed mounting, lighting, fencing or monitoring plans at the meeting; those specifics will be developed by staff and presented for any required permits and approvals.
