Planning manager details $2M‑plus Clean California projects, community engagement and maintenance plans

Planning manager Grant Leonard updated the Salinas Public Arts Commission on June 15 about work funded by a local Clean California grant the city won in 2022, telling commissioners the award — part of a statewide program administered by Caltrans — supports infrastructure and new public art across the Alisal corridor.

"The Clean California Program... was intended to do a number of things, include removing litter, creating jobs, and also installing new artwork or otherwise beautify disadvantaged communities," Leonard said, summarizing the grant's purpose and scope. He said the city also received a local award of more than $2,000,000, and that the grant's expenditure deadline is in September 2026.

Leonard described three components now visible in the field: 2024 underpass murals on Highway 101 at Market, Alisal and Sanborn; infrastructure work (trees, new and rehabilitated benches, sidewalk trash corrals and a renovated Breadbox Recreation Center patio); and an artwork program that wraps corrals with digitized images and places banners along East Alisal. The corral wraps were produced from digitized artwork and applied by a local vendor, Central Coast Sign and Design, Leonard said.

On placemaking projects, staff described a traditional painted mural selected for the boxing club wall at Closter Park. The selection process began with a call for artists; nine submissions were narrowed by a staff-and-community committee to four finalists, and the community voted to select Artist Inc.'s "Echoes in Motion" to represent park activities. The mural was paused during the park's renovation; staff said stucco repairs are underway and the mural will be installed this summer ahead of the park's grand reopening.

The commission also heard about a selected proposal for a gateway monument at the Alice L Street / Skyway Boulevard roundabout titled "Kaleidoscope of Life," submitted by Farallon Design Studio. Leonard read from the proposal narrative: "The kaleidoscope inherently relies on an array of distinct individual pieces coming together to create a unified and beautiful whole," and said the piece is intended to reflect Salinas' cultural diversity and a visual connection to the nearby municipal airport. The proposed scope includes mosaics and sculpture, foundations, lighting and landscaping; staff gave approximate dimensions (about 7.5 feet from foundation to top of the main sculpture, a 5.5‑foot center-to-outer diameter, with surrounding kaleidoscope wheels roughly 4–5 feet tall). Staff said the roundabout item is scheduled for City Council consideration on June 30.

Commissioners pressed the project team on volunteer roles, safety and liability for community involvement. One commissioner asked whether students would be volunteers or employees and who would be liable if an injury occurred during community mosaic work. A Farallon Design Studio representative described the process: tiles are precut, tumbled to remove sharp edges, and panels are assembled in studio; he said the assemblies are "extremely durable" and include steel backing in some designs. Leonard added that the city and contractor train teachers and volunteers; in many projects, youth help assemble patterns that are finalized in the studio before installation.

On maintenance, Leonard said the city contracts with a local nonprofit, Home Hope Services, to perform supplemental litter abatement along East Alisal and to clean and wash the corrals. Staff also conduct regular inspections (at least monthly) and retain the digitized artwork files, which enable replacement panels to be produced when needed. Leonard said there is a line item in the Clean California grant‑funded budget for ongoing maintenance and repair of grant improvements.

The presentation closed with staff reiterating community engagement plans — including school and youth activities to contribute colors and patterns for the monument wheels — and the project timeline of outreach this summer, studio construction, foundation/lighting work, and installation. The commission approved routine minutes from the Feb. 23, 2026 meeting earlier in the session; no formal actions on the grant projects were taken at the June 15 meeting.

Next steps: the roundabout monument will be presented to Salinas City Council on June 30 for approval; staff expect outreach and fabrication work through the summer and indicated the Clean California grant funds must be spent by September 2026.