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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPDS-050-21Clarington Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Planning and Development Committee Date of Meeting: October 4, 2021 Report Number: PDS-050-21 Submitted By: Ryan Windle, Director of Planning and Development Services Reviewed By: File Number: Andrew C. Allison, CAO File No. PLN 37.5 Resolution#: PD-221-21 By-law Number: Report Subject: Downtown Public Art and Streetscaping Projects Recommendations: 1. That Report PDS-050-21 and any related communication items, be received; 2. That Council approve $20,000 funding as an upset limit from the Community Improvement Plan Reserve Fund for the implementation of Downtown Public Art and Streetscaping projects; and 3. That all interested parties listed in Report PDS-050-21 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-050-21 Report Overview Page 2 Clarington's downtown areas have recently become home to new public art installations as part of Ontario's Main Street Revitalization Initiative, supported by funding Clarington received from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In Orono, the BIA has also undertaken replacement and provision of new benches along Main Street with funding from the Capstone (windfarm) community fund. The purpose of this report is to request funding from the Community Improvement Plan Reserve Fund to support the completion of the public art and streetscaping initiatives and to provide a summary of the artwork completed to date. 1. Background and Discussion 1.1 In 2018, funding in the amount of $110,000 was received from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) as part of the "Main Street Revitalization Initiative" for use in Clarington's four downtown areas. Council directed the funding be used for public art by approving FND-007-18. 1.2 Clarington's Official Plan recognizes public art as a distinguishing part of our history and our evolving culture and supports the promotion of public art to achieve a high -quality public realm. 1.3 In 2019, projects and artists were selected for each of the four downtown areas through a request -for -proposals process in accordance with Clarington's Purchasing By-law. Artists undertook the fabrication and installation of the projects throughout 2020 and into 2021. Project timelines have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and OMAFRA granted additional time for completion of the project. 1.4 The public art projects in Bowmanville, Courtice, and Newcastle are now substantially complete, as outlined in Section 2, below. Staff is currently working to design and install information plaques to accompany the artwork in each community and create walking tour brochures to promote Clarington's public art to residents and visitors. 1.5 In Orono, custom artistic bike racks, depicting the Orono Town Hall clock tower and iconic water tower, were created to be installed throughout the downtown and Orono Park in support of Orono's popularity as a cycling destination. Staff has also been working with the Orono BIA on its initiative to provide new and replacement benches along the east and west sides of Main Street in order to coordinate the locations of the streetscape infrastructure. 1.6 Generally, site selection and installation of the bike racks and benches in Orono has been challenging due to competing interests for sidewalk space along Main Street. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-050-21 Page 3 1.7 Staff has worked with the Public Works staff, the Region of Durham, the Orono BIA, and the Orono Community Improvement Plan Liaison Group to identify suitable sites. Several of the sites selected for the bike rack and bench locations require concrete foundations for installation to ensure the safety and longevity of the infrastructure. 1.8 Public Works staff has included the installation of the concrete foundations as part of the scope of a larger project in order to achieve cost efficiencies. Funding in the amount of $20,000 from the Community Improvement Plan Reserve Fund is required in order to complete the concrete foundation work, enabling the installation of the bike racks and remaining benches. 1.9 The Community Improvement Plan Reserve Fund was created when the first Community Improvement Plan was approved in 2005. The Fund has been used for enhancement of public projects. Previous examples include the enhanced railing and brick column surrounding the Silver parking lot, the landscaping of the Church Street parking lot, and the King Street East streetscape/bus shelter project in Bowmanville. 2. Summary of Public Art Projects 2.1 As noted above, the projects undertaken as part of the OMAFRA Main Street Revitalization initiative are substantially complete, and have resulted in an injection of public art throughout Clarington's downtown areas to be enjoyed by residents and visitors. Bowmanville 2.2 A `Women of Distinction' mural, depicting woman who have been influential in Bowmanville throughout history to present day, was painted in downtown Bowmanville by Allan Bender of Blinc Studios. Information about the women illustrated in the mural is available on Clarington's website. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-050-21 Page 4 Figure 1: Bowmanville's `Women of Distinction' Mural, painted by Blinc Studios Courtice 2.3 Artist Darlene Bolahood created a series of silhouettes depicting local youth and members of the Courtice community. The pieces are displayed at the Courtice Complex, Tooley's Mill Park, Trulls parkette, and on light poles along Highway 2 and the within the parks and trails system. Figure 2: Art Installations in Courtice, Artist Darlene Bolahood Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-050-21 Newcastle Page 5 2.4 James C. Smith's series of sculptures are on display in front gardens at Newcastle Community Hall, Clarington Public Library Branch, the Massey Build ing/Foodland, and A Gift of Art. Each piece incorporates a unique treasure hunt element to be discovered. Figure 3: Sculptures in Newcastle, Artist James C. Smith Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-050-21 Orono Page 6 2.5 In addition to the artistic bike racks, park amenity icons were added to the Buttercup Hollow sign, and funding was contributed to the new `Welcome to Orono' mural (painted by The Paint Factory) at the north end of Main Street. Rev.: 13Feb20 028.0 Figure 4: Artistic Bike Rack with Water Tower Design, Bike Rack with Clock Tower Design, Orono Park Amenity Signage, and `Welcome to Orono' Mural 2.6 The additional funding requested from the Reserve Fund will be used to complete the installation of the bike racks and benches in Orono, thereby enabling the remaining OMAFRA funds to go towards the information plaques and walking tour materials, as originally intended. Municipality of Clarington Page 7 Report PDS-050-21 3. Concurrence 3.1 This report has been reviewed by the Director of Financial Services who concurs with the recommendations. 4. Conclusion 4.1 The downtown public art projects, as supported by the Main Street Revitalization funding are in the final stages and nearing completion. Additional funding is required to undertake appropriate installation of the artistic bike racks and benches in Orono. It is respectfully recommended that funding from the CIP Reserve Fund be approved for up to $20,000 to complete the works. Staff Contact: Sarah Allin, Planner, 905-623-3379 ext. 2419 or sallin@clarington.net. Attachments: Not Applicable Interested Parties: List of Interested Parties available from Department.