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Carson City commission accepts donated sculpture 'Aster' for Mills Park with engineer stamp requirement
Summary
The Cultural Commission recommended the city accept a donated sculpture titled 'Aster' by local artist Seth Johnson for installation at Mills Park; commissioners required a structural-engineer stamp before final acceptance over liability concerns.
The Carson City Cultural Commission voted to recommend that the city manager accept a donated sculpture, Aster, by local artist Seth Johnson for installation at Mills Park, contingent on a structural engineer’s stamp verifying the installation’s long-term safety.
Anna Freeman, who presented the donation proposal, said the gift was coordinated by the Carson City Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute class of 2024 and would be purchased with remaining donated funds. The Leadership Institute’s project has already resulted in a mosaic tile mural created by community members, a metal artwork by Carson High School students and a sculpture titled Rocky the Squirrel by artist Jeff Schomburg, all installed in the Mills Park amphitheater area.
Commissioners raised liability and durability concerns. One commissioner asked that a structural engineer certify the mounting and fasteners to guard against failures and corrosion over time. “It needs to be stamped by a structural engineer to make sure our bolts are not gonna rot off in five years and flop over onto somebody,” a commissioner said during the meeting. Freeman responded that the artist indicated the piece was structurally sound and that the leadership class intended the sculpture to be appreciated as artwork rather than playground equipment, though she acknowledged it would likely attract climbing and photo opportunities.
A motion to accept the donation, with the caveat that it be stamped by a structural engineer, was made and seconded. The chair called the vote and the motion passed. The commission recorded no roll-call vote totals in the meeting transcript; the chair announced, “Motion passes.”
The donation proposal and supporting materials were included in the commission packet, and staff said the leadership class plans to use remaining donated funds to purchase and install Aster if the city accepts the gift. The commission did not specify a timeline for final installation pending engineering review and city manager approval.
The commission’s recommendation now moves to the city manager for final acceptance and placement logistics in Mills Park’s Seeley Loop area.
