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Council backs $30,000 support for Native American sculpture and agrees to at least one monument sign
Summary
Johns Creek Beautification requested $30,000 toward a proposed $100,000 Native American sculpture; council unanimously supported the $30,000 allocation and reached consensus to fund at least one town‑center monument sign while deferring larger plaza or LED‑screen decisions.
Council discussed tourism-product options and funding at length before coalescing around support for a community-driven public-art project.
City Manager Greer summarized staff analysis and said Johns Creek Beautification intends the Native American sculpture to be a $100,000 commission and has already raised $80,000. "Johns Creek Beautification intends this to be a $100,000 commission. They've already raised $80,000 towards that amount and the request of this council for tourism product development is $30,000," Greer said. Councilmembers expressed unanimous support for the $30,000 allocation and indicated a willingness to fund one monument sign for town-center gateway treatment; they left larger commitments (plaza construction and any permanent LED screen) for follow-up conversation once locations, engineering and additional fundraising are clarified.
Council debated purchase-versus-rental for LED displays and trade-offs between purchasing a portable trailer-mounted 12-foot diagonal LED screen (staff estimated purchase at about $85,000 or rental ~$2,400/day) versus a larger permanent installation (staff cited ballpark figures up to $800,000–$1,000,000 plus installation). Several members favored monuments and wayfinding signage as higher-impact, lower-cost options that can be implemented more quickly.
Staff will return with a work-session agenda to finalize allocations; the $145,000 identified for FY26 must be encumbered or allocated quickly, staff said.
