Arts Commission

Arts Commission Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Tuesday 5:00 PM March 4, 2025 Mayor's Boardroom & Zoom Video Recorded https://meetings.cob.org Call to Order The Arts Commission meeting (video) was called to order by the Chair at 5:01 PM. • Commission members present: Patricia McDonnell (Chair), Amy Chaloupka, Eric Shew, Jody Bento and Phillip Freytag • Commission members absent: None • Staff members present: Darby Galligan, PCDD; Taylor Webb, PCDD; Carol Rofkar, Public Works (presenter), Sydney Prusak, PCDD (presenter) Approve January Meeting Minutes A change was recommended to correct that Jody Bento was mistakenly listed as Chair. Patricia moved and Jody seconded to approve the January minutes with the proposed edits. All in favor, motion carried. p. 3 Agenda Items 1. The Bellingham Plan p. 6 Sydney Prusak, a Long Range Planner in the Planning & Community Development Department, gave a presentation on the current status of The Bellingham Plan. She gave an overview of the actions taken to date as well as the next steps in the approval process. She also focused on policies in the Plan related to Arts & Culture and asked for thoughts and feedback. Commissioners expressed a few questions about language related to amplifying the Whatcom Museum’s mission statement. They also mentioned the importance of including policy that centers around artists themselves rather than just art in the community. 2. Lettered Streets Neighborhood Signs p. 7 Natalie Baloy, a resident of the Lettered Streets neighborhood, presented a proposed design for the new Lettered Streets neighborhood signs. The project is funded through a Mayor’s Small and Simple Grant which was awarded to the neighborhood association in 2024. Natalie discussed a few revisions they plan to make to ensure the sign meets the sign design guidelines provided by the City’s Traffic Team. Commissioners provided additional feedback stating the design was fun and represented the Lettered Streets neighborhood well. They gave a few suggestions to consider that would increase the overall readability of the sign.  Natalie will work with the designer to update the sign. She will bring a few different revised versions back to the BAC for final approval in the next month or two. 3. Percent for Art Program Overview p. 12 Taylor provided Commissioners with a short document that summarized the current known projects that are eligible for the Percent for Art Program. Commissioners had questions about plans for releasing RFQs for these projects. Staff assured the memberd that there will be a bigger discussion and review of the proposed RFQ in the next couple of months. 4. Percent for Arts: Approach for WhatComm facility p. 15 Carol Rofkar, Public Works, gave an overview of the design for the new Whatcomm Facility which is subject to the Percent for Art Program. Staff proposed a preliminary art approach which is to consult with the Whatcom Museum to curate the use of the art funds. Due to the high stress nature of the work, the Museum will work with the building design team to integrate art into the building and surrounding spaces that have a sense of healing and tranquility. Patricia moved that the preliminary art approach is sound and requests they return to the BAC when more information on what types of art plan to be included is known. Eric seconded, Amy abstained. All in favor, motion carried. 5. Percent for Art - Post Point Project Art Approach p. 23 Taylor gave an overview of the proposed Post Point sludge tank replacement which is subject to the Percent for Art Program. She discussed potential locations that could be most suitable for art placement. She also discussed the unique natural features of the site including the nearby interurban trail, protected estuary and heron rookery. Staff proposed the recommended art approach is to incorporate art into one or more locations near the Lower Padden trail entrance(s) and highlight the unique natural features of the Post Point Lagoon and Heron Colony. Amy moved to approve the recommended art approach, Phillip seconded. All in favor, motion carried. Other Business 1. Public Comment Period No public comment received. 2. For the Good of the Order and Announcements Staff reminded Commissioners that the recruitment process for new members is underway, and interviews will be scheduled within the next couple of weeks. Commissioners were encouraged to reach out to any final recruits soon, so they can get  submit their applications ASAP. Staff also shared the new formalized recruitment process under the Mayor’s direction. At previous meetings, Staff and Commissioners expressed the need to update the BAC’s Policies and Procedures document and suggested forming a subcommittee to do so. Given that the Commission is in an active recruitment process, staff recommends waiting to form the subcommittee until new members are onboarded. Staff and Amy gave a brief update about plans to find a new location for the Rickey sculpture. Several years ago, the sculpture was damaged by wind at its location behind the Old City Hall building. Potential new locations for the sculpture are being evaluated to find a more suitable location that will have minimal wind impacts on the sculpture. Meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM Minutes prepared by: ____________________________________________ Taylor Webb, Development Specialist II Minutes edited by both staff and Arts Commission members.