Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Honors topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public Administration Committee narrows council recognition medal to honor Lane Shetterly
Summary
The committee reviewed artist Gurney Marks’s mock-ups for a one-and-a-half-inch council recognition medal, favored a clean portrait of Lane Shetterly on the obverse and a simplified reverse with two hands and a single-word top inscription, and directed staff to return refined art to the committee in July for recommendation to the full council.
The Public Administration Committee reviewed designs for a new city recognition medal and signaled support for honoring longtime community volunteer Lane Shetterly.
Artist and former public works director Gurney Marks showed six obverse (head-side) and three reverse mock-ups, explaining that a 1.5-inch diameter limits text and requires strong symbolic imagery. "The best designs are concise, make effective use of symbolic objects," Marks said, adding that crowded text can obscure the art on a small medal.
Marks suggested naming the medal after a local figure and offered three candidates: George Dallas, Marco Hatfield and Lane Shetterly. Committee members emphasized local connection in choosing an honoree. Chair Shane said the committee preferred an honoree with strong community ties: "Of those three, the only one that I can get even a little bit excited about is Lane Shetterly for a very specific reason — he's the only one of the three with a real strong direct connection to the community," he said.
On the reverse, Marks presented options that incorporate the city logo and symbolic hands supporting it. Committee members converged on reducing six hands to two to create room for optional engraving and to reduce visual clutter. Brian (city staff) described a likely short inscription such as "Recognizing your support and service" rather than a three-word motto, and recommended reserving a blank space on the reverse for individual names to be engraved if the recipient requests it.
By show of hands the committee settled on Lane Shetterly as the preferred obverse subject and a cleaner reverse treatment with two hands and a single-word top inscription. Members emphasized that the committee's role is to recommend a design to the full council, and that staff should confirm Lane Shetterly's willingness to be depicted before final approval.
Marks described the production process and timeline, noting that sculpting and preparation can take months and that there are additional sculptor fees (he cited a $100 per-side fee charged by his sculptor for relief work) before dies and minting costs are incurred.
The committee asked Marks to email two reverse options (both showing two hands) and agreed the item should return to the committee in July for a formal recommendation to the full council.
