Cook family, Heritage Arts Foundation propose bronze sculptures and donor-funded pillars for Cook Family Park

Representatives for the Cook family and the Heritage Arts Foundation presented concepts for multiple public-art installations at Cook Family Park during the Pleasant Grove City Council work session on Aug. 5, 2025.

The Heritage Arts Foundation’s representative, Bob, described a commissioned bronze group “somewhere in the neighborhood of $70,000” featuring life-size figures of young girls intended for the southern portion of the park near the splash pad. Bob said the Cook family had offered to fund that piece and that a separate set of three vertical “pillars” about nine feet tall would be placed near the park’s main entrance and built from steel with bronze figures mounted on top.

Bob said the foundation seeks to place public art “without using budgets from tax dollars,” and described a fundraising campaign to pay for the three pillars, with the Cook family acting as one of multiple donors. Council members discussed community buy-in options such as etched bricks or plaques for donors and cited existing city naming and donor policies as the likely framework for recognition. Bob said the foundation would return with a more detailed plan, including naming, thanking and security considerations.

Council members raised installation and security concerns. A council member asked about theft and vandalism; Bob replied the installations would be anchored deeply and sited in relatively visible locations to reduce risk. City staff said the city attorney-reviewed naming policy used in other Utah cities (examples cited: Lehi, Alpine) would be applied to donor recognition and naming questions.

Council comments at the end of the presentation were generally favorable and supportive of staff continuing to develop a formal plan and fundraising campaign. No formal motion or vote was recorded; staff said they would prepare a comprehensive proposal that included donor recognition levels, a fundraising timeline and installation details and would return to the council for formal approval.

Details to be resolved in follow-up work include final cost estimates for the pillars (the meeting record contained an unclear estimate for the three pillars), the final design and placement drawings, security/anti-theft measures and the proposed donor recognition language.

The council discussion was limited to conceptual approval to proceed with planning; no funds from the city budget were committed at the Aug. 5 work session.