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Davie council directs placement of two painted horses, approves mixed approach for colorful bike racks and funds mosaic tables
Summary
Town council selected the Old Davie School and West Ridge Park to display two new painted horse sculptures, directed staff to order a mix of colorful and natural‑finish horseshoe bike racks, and moved forward with mosaic domino/chess tables with a $2,500 budget increase.
Davie town leaders on Tuesday directed staff to place two new painted horse sculptures at sites intended to maximize public visibility and cultural fit while approving related public‑art elements across town.
Jeff Pullman, the town's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts director, presented the Public Art Advisory Committee’s recommendations and showed finalized designs the Seminole Tribe of Florida had reviewed and approved. Pullman said the two pieces shown are numbers 3 and 4 in a planned collection and noted the committee’s goal of siting art on town‑owned property so residents can view it up close.
Council members debated several possible locations and appearances before settling on two sites. “I kind of like West Ridge Park for that, that you'd be able to see it coming down Nob Hill,” Mayor Paul said; the council indicated a preference to place the grazing thoroughbred near the Old Davie School (visible from Griffin Road and near the Cheeky Hut) and the running mustang at West Ridge Park. Pullman said staff will field‑verify exact placement and check grades and flat ground before installation.
Pullman also updated the council on the horseshoe bike rack project. After a nationwide call and blind scoring process, staff recommended one artist and showed prototypes that include the town’s 100‑year logo. Council discussion focused on color and finish: some members favored brighter colors for high‑traffic areas, while others argued for patina or natural tones to better blend with parks. Based on direction from the dais, staff will ask the artist for updated proposals and move forward with four colorized racks and four in a more natural/patina finish.
On a related item, the Public Art Advisory Committee recommended artist Sonata Kaye for mosaic domino and chess tables to be installed at Bamford Sports Complex and Potter Park. The committee recommended adding a third stool at each table for accessibility, which increased the project cost by $2,500 to a total of $12,500; Pullman said sufficient capital funding is available for the increase.
The council did not record a formal roll‑call vote for the painted‑horses site directions during the discussion but gave clear staff direction to proceed, and members signaled support for executing agreements with artists and returning final designs for review prior to fabrication.
