ACE Committee recommends accepting dog-sculpture donation; location to be finalized

The Arts & Culture Excellence (ACE) Committee voted to recommend that City Council accept a three-part dog-sculpture installation donated by Johns Creek Beautification and funded by private donor Michelle Murrell.

Assistant to the city manager Olivia Gosda, who presented the application, said staff's preliminary review "would recommend approval and acceptance of these art pieces, with the exact location TBD," noting that final siting must clear public-works checks for drainage and electrical right-of-way issues.

Why it matters: the sculptures are intended as durable, family-friendly public art that staff and the applicant said could become a recognizable civic feature. The committee's recommendation will be documented in the staff report and included in the City Council packet for the January meeting, where council will make the final decision and the public may comment.

What was proposed and who is funding it: Lynn Pennington, past president of Johns Creek Beautification and chair of the Art Spot Committee, described the work as "a small but impressive sculpture in 3 parts" — three life-size stainless-steel dog silhouettes by artist Jim Collins. Pennington said the artist estimates the pieces should last about 500 years and that the project is fully funded by donor Michelle Murrell.

Placement debate: staff supplied a map and recommended a blue-shaded region near the dog park that offers partial tree cover and greater flexibility for future vertical pieces. Olivia Gosda said the staff recommendation aimed to "leave the option open" for larger future works and to avoid known issues such as proximity to electrical lines and localized flooding in some spots.

The applicant and donor favored a smaller triangular plaza in Newtown Park, which Pennington said has high foot traffic and visibility: "I think this was a positive and engaging way to honor our city's accomplishments," she said, arguing the triangle would make the sculptures visible to more park users. Donor Michelle Murrell told the committee she prefers the triangle and added of the triangle site, "I've never seen it flood there" in her roughly 15 years of visiting the park.

Committee members pressed staff on technical concerns, including whether the sculptures' buffed stainless-steel finish would be highly reflective if placed near a road (staff and the applicant said the proposed locations are on walking paths, not adjacent to a roadway), how many pieces could fit in each candidate site (the triangle would fit a single piece; the broader shaded region could host additional works in the future), and whether concrete base pads and bolt-in requirements would affect nearby trees or require utility checks.

Outcome and next steps: the committee moved and seconded a recommendation to accept the artwork and agreed to forward the approval recommendation to City Council in January. Committee members requested that staff package both the donor's preferred triangle location as the first choice and the staff-recommended shaded region near the dog park as a second choice, with the caveat that public works/stormwater and electrical-clearance reviews determine final feasibility.

The staff presentation cited the ordinance that created ACE and the committee's review criteria; staff will document the committee's recommendation, include the site preferences and caveats in the council packet, and confirm any necessary technical reviews before installation if council approves the project.

The meeting also included a short city events update and approval of the November 14 minutes. The committee adjourned after completing agenda business.