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Farmers Branch committee presses staff to finish long-delayed Westside Art Trail sculptures and plan artist recognition
Summary
Committee members urged the city to accelerate installation of Westside Art Trail sculptures — stalled for about four years — and agreed to place a formal budget recommendation and event plan on the next agenda to ensure artist recognition and public promotion.
The Farmers Branch Arts & Culture Committee pressed staff on a long-delayed public-art project Tuesday, urging steps to finish installation of sculptures on the Westside Art Trail and to deliver meaningful recognition for participating artists.
Chair opened the meeting by introducing an update from staff, who said parks staff are currently soliciting quotes for charcoal-colored elevated concrete pads needed to place several sculptures and that they hope to schedule installation this summer once vendors are vetted. “They're working on getting quotes for the concrete pads…so once we have those back in, then we'll schedule installation,” the staff member said.
Committee members responded with frustration at the length of the project. Committee member 6 said the initiative had been ‘‘about a four‑year project’’ and called repeated delays ‘‘embarrassing,’’ urging the committee to escalate and hold staff accountable. The staff member acknowledged the concern, saying some pauses stemmed from re‑evaluating siting and that she would consult Robert (parks management) and return with a more definitive timeline.
Beyond timing, members debated how to recognize artists once installations are complete. Several members favored a professional public‑relations approach — a proclamation, a newsletter feature and press outreach — rather than a small reception alone. Committee member 7 recommended tying recognition to an existing city event such as Branch Arts Live or a fall celebration to maximize publicity and to produce a permanent listing on the city website so artists can cite the work in portfolios.
On budgets, members discussed likely costs for a reception and related PR: one estimate cited $5,000 for a modest program, while committee members suggested a realistic range of $10,000–$20,000 depending on scale. Committee member 6 proposed recommending $15,000, but staff clarified the discussion was not an actionable budget item at that time and that a formal budget recommendation must be placed on the next meeting agenda for council consideration.
The committee asked staff to return in June with options — a proposed recognition plan, an estimated budget breakdown and a timeline for when installations can be completed — so members can make a formal recommendation to the city manager and, if appropriate, to the City Council. The meeting closed with the committee agreeing to add a budget and event recommendation to next month’s agenda.
