Regular Meeting

City of Elko Arts and Culture Advisory Board Regular Meeting 4:30 PM, Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Elko City Hall, Council Chambers 1751 College Avenue, Elko, NV 89801 I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL Present: Mica Johnson, ACAB Chairperson Sharon Owen, ACAB Vice Chairperson Casey Bennett, ACAB Secretary Amy Drost, ACAB Member Marissa Lostra, Councilwoman arrived at 4:32 pm City Staff Present: Dale Johnson, Assistant City Manager Annette Robinson, City Clerk Nichole Stephens, City Clerk Technician II III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Chair Mica Johnson called for public comment and did not receive a response. V. PRESENTATION VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approval of Minutes for the October 1, 2025, Regular Session ** A motion was made by Secretary Bennett, seconded by Vice Chair Owen to approve the minutes of October 1st, 2025. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the 2026 Semiquincentennial Art Project, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 1 of 9  City Staff reached out to Great Basin College with a formal agreement for the Semiquincentenial Art Project and John Patric Rice responded by email with a new budget for the project requesting additional funds. The original budget amount was $7,000, and the new budget amount is $14,841.43. Great Basin College is requesting an additional $3,000 for a total of $10,000 Great Basin College is committed to raising the additional $4,841.43 to complete the project. The board has multiple options they can choose from. 1. Reject the request as this was a formal bid process and now outside the budget of the project scope. 2. Commit the additional $3,000 and award a total of $10,000 to GBC for the project and hope they can fund raise for the additional $4,841.43 and complete the project by the project deadline of June 2026. 3. Discuss other options to complete the project, keeping in mind the project deadline. Marissa Lostra arrived at 4:32 p.m. Secretary Casey Bennett reported he had gone to the Eureka Opera House on Monday with the Nevada Arts Council. He referenced an email he had sent to the board with information regarding America 250 (see minutes packet). He said the Executive Director of the Nevada Arts Council, Tony Manfredi has been going around to different municipalities and talking to them about their idea to install an art piece in every single county and all the tribal lands as well. Member Amy Drost noted the deadline showed September 4th and asked if it was still open. Secretary Bennett responded that was the deadline for artists to put in, and Tony Manfredi is going around having municipalities apply for the funding and the artist. Vice Chair Sharon Owen said it was possible that the funding for the artist was also still open even though the deadline had passed, she didn’t know that all the money was distributed, so there may be some additional funding for artists if they’re interested in pursuing a project for the initiative. Chair Johnson asked if Mr. Bennett had gotten the impression that they would be able to apply any grant funds to an existing project. Secretary Bennett said the Grants Manager for the Nevada Arts Council, Stephanie Montgomery, mentioned they would be able to apply for some funding for projects that they already have going on. Dale Johnson, Assistant City Manager, noted the board was getting off topic, but they could discuss this later on in the meeting. November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 2 of 9 Secretary Bennett said America 250 is Semiquincentennial and that was why he mentioned it. Annette Robinson, City Clerk responded it wasn’t on the agenda that way and would need to be put on the agenda. Mr. Johnson suggested they follow up with it in reports or public comments. Member Drost noted it could possibly fall under their option three. Mr. Johnson agreed it could fall under option three. Vice Chair Owen noted John Rice was at the meeting as a representative of the project and asked if they were allowed to solicit his feedback. Mr. Johnson agreed they should hear from John and let him explain what has happened with the college. John Rice, 249 Court St, Elko, NV said he did not blame them for being surprised at the new budget which was twice as much as the old budget, and he wanted to explain. Initially, they had thought the equipment the college has for engraving and etching would be capable of completing the project and it is not, so they will need to outsource the engraving. He said the engraving would be done in Elko by an organization that is made up of alumni of the GBC welding program and would still have a wonderful Great Basin College connection. He said the college is working very hard and has committed through their foundation to fill the gap entirely. He requested the board provide them with the additional $3,000, if possible, to make their fundraising efforts easier. He said he was happy to answer any questions. Chair Johnson asked the board if they had any thoughts. Councilmember Marissa Lostra said they had originally budgeted for $10,000 for the project, and she would be in favor of committing the additional $3,000 to award the initial allotment that they had projected for the $10,000 to GBC to get the project headed in the right direction. Vice Chair Owen stated it is probably not uncommon to receive a change order or difference in the budget. She asked Mr. Johnson if there was a general precedent or prior experience with this type of scenario. Mr. Johnson responded it was somewhat unique that it came up this quickly, but he felt bringing this to their attention up front showed they were willing to go out and fundraise and try to meet the cost constraints for the project. Secretary Bennett asked if the GBC Foundation would be providing the additional $4,841.43 or if it was more of a fundraising matter. Mr. Rice responded the foundation has committed to raising those additional dollars. November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 3 of 9 Secretary Bennett stated Mr. Rice had mentioned they would be okay with the additional seven thousand as well. Mr. Rice responded that was because they came in with a good faith estimate of seven thousand dollars and then discovered they weren’t going to be able to do this. He hadn’t thought of this as a change order, but he did like the analogy and in a change order in his experience, there was consideration given to the new circumstances and change orders were often granted when they were warranted. He said they are committed to raising whatever needs to be raised, but they would like $10,000. He added he agreed with Councilwoman Lostra that the way the money was allocated through the city council, it was appropriate for the board to award the entire amount. Secretary Bennett said correct and added they were hoping for some reader boards. He asked Mr. Rice what his ideas were in regard to that, since they wouldn’t have the funding anymore. Vice Chair Owen said she thought they would need to put it down as an agenda item for future consideration when they have the option and can review their resources at that time. Mr. Johnson agreed, noting there was no mention of reader boards within the project. Mr. Rice said he liked the idea and was wondering about an interpretive board similar to the Centennial Tower and he saw their dilemma, but without knowing how much they would cost and given the occasion, the 250th anniversary of democracy in the United States, he could see where there might be support for such a thing, but the monument itself would cost fourteen thousand dollars. Vice Chair Owen said she would like them to continue their support for this effort and she would prefer to reject option one from the list of considerations and focus on either payment in full which was allotted to the project as Councilmember Lostra had stated. She added there may be some alternative ways to help through the foundation or other private entities or public entities. Member Drost agreed with Ms. Owen. She thought the other things they had talked about were kind of like icing on the cake because they thought they’d have it, but they didn’t. Secretary Bennett said he had a question about the second option, as it said commit the additional $3,000 and award a total of $10,000 to GBC for the project and hope they can fundraise the additional $4,841.43. He asked for more clarification in regard to “hope.” Mr. Rice responded he used the word committed in his previous statement and he stood by that. Chair Johnson said she felt like they, as Councilmember Lostra said, as a board should commit to spending their budget and they can always add to their project. They can add the reader boards or benches but thought it was bad to take away from their budget. November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 4 of 9 Councilmember Lostra said they budgeted the $10,000 in their RFP, and she thought the art piece itself is what’s more important, and meeting the June deadline. She believed the reader boards could be added either at a future date or they could look for additional sources of funding. Secretary Bennett asked Mr. Rice how he would be engaging the students in the electrical, diesel, and mill maintenance program? Mr. Rice responded electrical would be working on the low voltage electrical lighting that will be placed within the sculpture and on the ground uplighting. Mill maintenance would be involved in the transportation of the sculpture. Secretary Bennett asked if any of the students would be working on the actual design of the piece. Mr. Rice responded he knows that the welding program engages in projects as part of their curriculum and this will be considered part of their coursework. All of the skills they are taught will be implemented in this project. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Vice Chair Owen to commit the additional $3,000 and award a total of $10,000 to Great Basin College for the project and understand that they have committed the additional $4,841.43 through the Great Basic Foundation, either to be donated or fundraised to complete the project by the project deadline of June 2026. The motion Passed. (4-1) B. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning the 2025 Mayor Arts Awards, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Artist Carmen Graf has been selected to create the Mayor Arts Awards and was invited to attend the meeting, for project discussion. The recipients have also been selected. We now need to discuss the proposed art and what art piece recipients will receive and any other discussions related to the matter. Chair Johnson asked about Ms. Graf. Ms. Robinson responded she did not show up and has not been in touch. Mr. Johnson added the 17th of October was the last time he had heard from her. He emailed her last week and did not receive a response. Chair Johnson asked if they were presenting awards at the end of the month. Vice Chair Owen responded that was the plan. Mr. Johnson said by the end of the year would be nice. November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 5 of 9 Vice Chair Owen asked if they needed to reconsider their artist selection if they had lost communication with that individual. Mr. Johnson responded they should probably try to reach out to her again and maybe table the item since she was not here. Secretary Bennett stated that according to the bylaws and at the Chair’s discretion they could create a special meeting so if they do get in contact with Carmen they can talk about it, or if they can’t they can talk about that as well. Chair Johnson asked Mr. Bennett if he meant having a special meeting with Carmen. Secretary Bennett responded to meet with her or if she isn’t responding, to consider a different artist and continue on before the end of the month. Vice Chair Owen noted that when asking about special meetings in the past, it does require additional lead time and coordination with the staff and they would want to be mindful of some of those factors heading into thanksgiving. Member Drost added there was a holiday next week as well. Councilmember Lostra added she would be gone a lot in November, but she could attend online if they had a special meeting. Chair Johnson requested Mr. Johnson attempt to get in touch with Ms. Graf again. Mr. Johnson stated he would do that. Councilmember Lostra suggested they set a deadline for Friday. Vice Chair Owen noted they have had the invitation open for her to come for the past two months. Friday the seventh would be 48 hours. Councilmember Lostra asked how much notice they would need if Mr. Johnson received a response. Ms. Robinson noted they had two holidays this month and herself and Nichole Stephens would be gone several days in the next few weeks, so she wasn’t sure. Mr. Johnson added he would be gone as well. Ms. Robinson said it was probably going to have to be their next meeting in December since they also have other meetings going on. November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 6 of 9 ** A motion was made by Secretary Bennett to request city staff get in contact with Carmen Graff within 48 hours and by November 7th. If unable to reach her, bring back to the next meeting for selection of another artist. ** A motion was made by Vice Chair Owen, seconded by Secretary Bennett to amend Secretary Bennet's motion to use Alyssa Cumpton as their reserve 2025 Mayor Arts Awards Artist. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning an additional Semiquincentennial Art Project Award for the corridor and proposed funding source, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION It was brought to City Staffs attention that there may be funding for the art piece that Angie Smith submitted for the Semiquincentenial Project. If the Board would like to move forward with this 2nd project, staff can prepare a second agreement with the artist while the Board secures the funding with the proposed donor. Councilmember Lostra said she was talking with some members of the chamber and it was brought to her attention that they still have the DBA funds, and since they did not move forward with the murals on the power boxes, she thought this would be a more substantial project that they could potentially request grant funding for. She added they had such amazing proposals, and with the board’s permission she would like to take it to the chamber and request DBA funds to fully fund the second project. Vice Chair Owen said she would be open to that, and it would be cool if they could bookend the corridor with the two 250 pieces. ** A motion was made by Secretary Bennett, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to request Councilmember Marissa Lostra get in contact with the Elko Chamber of Commerce for request of grant approval, and for Elko city staff to prepare a second agreement with Angie. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) B. Review, discussion, and possible action concerning recognizing the Governor’s Proclamation declaring October 2025 as Arts and Humanities Month in Nevada and to consider ways the Elko Arts and Cultural Advisory Board can participate in or promote local arts and humanities activities during the month, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION. Secretary Bennett said during his casual Instagram scrolling, he saw the Nevada Arts Council had posted in regard to Governor Lombardo making a proclamation to the Arts Month. He knew they November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 7 of 9 were a bit late on it, but he thought this was something they should keep their eye on for next year to support the arts within Elko Nevada. Vice Chair Owen thanked Mr. Bennett for bringing this to their attention. She said the Great Basin Humanities Club might be a good partner in this, along with the arts group, as they have some different events that they host. She said maybe they could do something within their October meeting to recognize this effort every year. Councilmember Lostra thought that would be great. She suggested maybe moving the Mayor’s Art Awards to the month of October and they could do a presentation at the second October City Council meeting, where they could also highlight the arts and humanities month. Vice Chair Owen offered to put together a calendar for the next year to use as a target date so they can backwards plan to see what that would look like. There was general consensus. ** A motion was made by Vice Chair Owen, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to recognize Arts and Humanities Month in Nevada every October into perpetuity as long as practical and in an appropriate way. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) IX. REPORTS Secretary Bennett reported he had been looking through past agendas and found an agenda item regarding a very expensive Christmas tree. He asked Ms. Johnson if she could provide more information on it. Chair Johnson responded that former Councilmember Mandy Simons grew up in Rupert or Burley, and they do a lot of Christmas stuff. Ms. Simons wanted to get a two- or three-story metal Christmas tree for downtown. Secretary Bennett noted the cost was going to be $50,000 and they said no to the proposal. He said he wasn’t thinking of a metal Christmas tree and it was too late to even put this on as an agenda item, but he wanted to share as something to potentially work on for next year. Vice Chair Owen mentioned her and Mr. Bennett had met with Mr. Johnson and Ms. Laughlin last month to start looking at the strategic planning process and they have Chapter 7 that they are supposed to be working through. She said within that there were some opportunities to identify these types of projects, and maybe there are seasonal projects that they want to emphasize, but she thought they may be a good place to bring that sort of concept. Secretary Bennett reported Elko High School Theater Department would be doing their show of A Midsummer Night’s Dream November 19th through the 22nd and tickets were available at elkotheater.com November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 8 of 9  Chair Johnson reported GBC Continuing Education was doing a bunch of one-to-two-night pottery classes if anyone wanted to make ornaments, a little lawn gnome or some date night pottery. Mr. Johnson reported he was going to have to cancel the November 14th meeting and reschedule it for the committee for the master plan. He added Mr. Bennett had brought to his attention that the bylaws stated they were supposed to elect officers in each odd numbered year in July and it was not done this year. X. SCHEDULE THE NEXT MEETING ** A motion was made by Secretary Bennett, seconded by Vice Chair Owen to schedule the Art and Cultural Advisory Board Meeting for Wednesday, December 3rd at 4:30 pm. The motion passed unanimously. (5-0) XI. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Chair Johnson called for final public comment and did not receive a response. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:19 pm. Mica Johnson, Chairperson Casey Bennett, Secretary November 5, 2025 Arts and Culture | Minutes Page 9 of 9