Springville council adopts 'Amplifying Art City' arts master plan through 2030

The Springville City Council voted to adopt "Amplifying Art City," the Arts Master Plan 2024–2030, approving a set of strategies to strengthen the city's identity as "Art City," support the Springville Museum of Art and public art operations, and guide funding and programming through 2030.

Emily, the plan's presenter, said the city had not previously adopted a formal arts master plan and that the new document lays out strategies and directives to make the arts "accessible, relevant, and welcome to everyone." She described the plan as a package of initiatives for venues, artists, events and funding structures and said it recommends continuing a 2% for art transfer for capital projects to fund local public art work and programs. "We in Springville value the power of art to elevate lives and unite our community," Emily said.

The presenter walked the council through the plan's development process, saying a steering committee formed in February met monthly for seven to eight months to draft and refine the plan after community engagement, stakeholder focus groups and public workshops. The committee's work included edits to timelines, budgets and the public art opportunities chart; Emily said some projects were reclassified from "planned" to "prioritized" after an Aug. 6 feasibility discussion.

Council discussion included a clarification about the city's "statues to live by" program, a longstanding public-art program of bronze sculptures downtown. When asked about the inventory, Emily said the city researched the number and estimated "around 30" statues; she emphasized the plan would integrate existing public artworks rather than remove them.

An unidentified council member moved to approve "Amplifying Art City, the arts master plan 2024 to 2030." The presiding officer called a roll-call vote. Council members identified in the roll call—Logan, Mike, Mindy, Jake and Craig—each answered "Yes," and the motion passed. Following the vote the presiding officer praised the committee and urged that the council be updated on implementation, saying, "Now do not put this on the shelf. Use it and make sure it works." Emily and several committee members received certificates of appreciation.

The council did not take any alternate formal action; Emily noted the council could deny the ordinance if it found the plan inconsistent with adopted city goals. The meeting adjourned, and the presiding officer announced the next meeting will include the Truth in Taxation portion of the agenda.