Williamsburg Public Art Council

City of Williamsburg Agenda Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting Monday, July 28, 2025 @ 3:30 PM Stryker Center (Room 127), 412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg, VA 23185 Page I. CALL TO ORDER II. ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION REQUEST a. Consideration and Approval of Remote Participation Request from WPAC 2 Member Anne Hunt Agenda Item Summary III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. June 30, 2025 - WPAC Minutes 3-5 WPAC - June 2025 Minutes - DRAFT IV. CHAIR REPORT a. New Member Introduction: Anne Hunt b. Williamsburg Poet Laureate Updates V. STAFF REPORT a. African American Heritage Trail Update - Michele DeWitt, Assistant City Manager b. 2026 Planning VI. NEW BUSINESS a. Consideration of Proposed Resolution #25-01 Re-Adopting the Remote 6-7 Participation Policy Found in Sec. 2-34 of the Code of the City of Williamsburg for the Williamsburg Public Art Council Agenda Item Summary WPAC - Proposed Resolution #25-01 VII. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is Monday, August 25, 2025, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 7 Meeting Date: 7/28/25 Staff Contact: Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Division Manager Agenda Item Wording: Consideration and Approval of a Remote Participation Request from WPAC Member Anne Hunt Background Information: Pursuant to the code of Virginia Section 2.2-3708, City Ordinance #24-08, and the newly adopted WPAC Resolution #25-01, Williamsburg Public Art Council Member Anne Hunt has requested to participate in the July 28, 2025, WPAC meeting remotely. The WPAC must approve this request by majority vote prior to Ms. Hunt joining the meeting. Previous Action: - The WPAC approved its FY25 Electronic Participation Policy at its July 29, 2024, meeting. - The FY26 Policy is on the agenda for consideration and approval at the July 28, 2025, meeting and is expected to be adopted prior to the vote on Ms. Hunt’s request. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the WPAC approve the remote participation request from WPAC Member Anne Hunt. Sample Motion: I move that the Williamsburg Public Art Council approve the remote participation request from Anne Hunt for the July 28, 2025, WPAC meeting pursuant to the code of Virginia Section 2.2-3708, City Ordinance #24-08, and WPAC Resolution #25-01. Page 2 of 7 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:30 pm, Monday, June 30, 2025, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chair), Cash Arehart, Pat Dent, Bill Hamilton, Elaine McBeth, Barbara Ramsey, Scott Spence, Rachel Trichler, and Barbara Vollmer. Mr. Arehart arrived at 3:32 PM. Mr. Currie arrived at 4:06 PM. WPAC members absent: Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Division Manager) and Sarah Seward (Economic Development Administrative Coordinator) I. Call to Order Ms. Trichler called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM. II. Electronic Participation Request a. Consideration and Approval of Remote Participation Request from WPAC Member Barbara Ramsey Mr. Hamilton motioned to approve that the Williamsburg Public Art Council approve the remote participation request from Barbara Ramsey for the June 30, 2025, WPAC meeting pursuant to the Code of Virginia Section 2.2-3708 and City Ordinance #24-08. Seconded by Ms. McBeth. Approved by Mr. Arehart, Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Mr. Spence, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. III. Approval of Minutes a. April 28, 2025, WPAC Minutes Ms. Vollmer motioned to approve the April minutes as presented. Seconded by Mr. Dent. Approved by Mr. Arehart, Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Mr. Spence, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. IV. Chair’s Report a. Resolution for Scott Spence Ms. Trichler presented the resolution for Mr. Spence’s service on the WPAC and commended him for his hard work and dedication. Page 3 of 7  b. Williamsburg Port Laureate Update Ms. Trichler reported that there have been several conversations with Lacroy Nixon about his upcoming work as Poet Laureate. He will be presenting the work he has been doing at a forthcoming WPAC meeting. Ms. Skrabala stated that the performance agreement has been drafted and is currently under review. V. Staff Report a. Community Appreciation Day 2025 Display Ms. Skrabala shared that the Community Appreciation Day art project was on display in the Stryker Center from May to June. b. Public Art Maintenance Plan Ms. Skrabala discussed the need for a Public Art Maintenance plan. She noted that, in the past, a city staff member voluntarily took on the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining artworks, but he is no longer with the organization. Currently, she is reviewing the Virginia Beach model as a potential framework for consideration. The goal is to ensure consistent and proper care of public art. This may involve utilizing existing City personnel or contracting outside services, as recommended by the plan. c. Financial Report Ms. Skrabala provided an overview of the financial report. She noted that $10,000 for the African American Trailhead piece is committed, but the project is on hold. The Gateway Lanterns project is also on hold. However, $100,000 has been committed for the project and is set aside in a separate budget line item. d. 2026 Planning Ms. Skrabala reported that staff met with Ms. Trichler and Ms. Ramsey to brainstorm and discuss future projects for 2026. The group discussed pursuing five unique installations at five different locations, all connected by a unifying theme. These projects would be staggered throughout the year. Proposed locations include the Library Plaza, High Street, Capitol Landing Road (DMV site), College Landing Park, Midtown Row, and City Parks (Bicentennial, Waller Mill, Geddy. To implement the planning for this project, Ms. Skrabala proposed project tiers. Ms. Skrabala also proposed setting aside $10,000 to $20,000 for business grants to support the installation of artwork that complements the 2026 theme. Ms. Vollmer asked if Colonial Williamsburg has committed to themes for 2026. Mr. Hamilton asked whether the installations should be aligned with other significant events or remain independent to maintain a distinct identity. Mr. Currie supported the idea of preserving a unique identity while still considering alignment where beneficial. Page 4 of 7  Mr. Arehart offered a theme variation of “Life, Liberty, and Happiness”. Ms. Skrabala noted that the WPAC did not need to make any decisions during this meeting but rather focus on identifying a theme and locations. VI. Election of Officers a. FY26 Election of Officers Ms. McBeth motioned that the Williamsburg Public Art Council elect Robert Currie as Chairperson, Rachel Trichler as Vice-Chairperson, and Mr. Hamilton as Secretary for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, pursuant to City Council Ordinance #21-01 and Resolution #21-03. Seconded by Mr. Arehart. Approved by Mr. Currie, Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Mr. Spence, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. VII. Next Meeting The next meeting is Monday, July 28, 2025, at 3:30 PM in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VIII. Adjournment Mr. Currie made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 5:00 PM. Seconded by Ms. McBeth. Approved by Mr. Arehart, Mr. Currie, Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Mr. Spence, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. _______________________________________________ Bill Hamilton, Secretary Page 5 of 7 Meeting Date: 7/28/25 Staff Contact: Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Division Manager Agenda Item Wording: Consideration of Proposed Resolution #25-01 Re-Adopting the Remote Participation Policy Found in Sec. 2-34 of the Code of the City of Williamsburg for the Williamsburg Public Art Council Background Information: HB894 in the Code of Virginia requires that all public bodies utilizing remote participation re-adopt their policy annually. The re-adoption of this policy allows for any board member to participate remotely in Williamsburg Public Art Council meetings two (2) times in a calendar year, or 25% of the meetings held, rounded up to the next whole number, whichever is greater. If a member is participating remotely because of his or her own disability or because they are caring for someone with a disability, the member counts for purposes of a quorum, so long as the audio-visual connection stays connected, and the video stays on during the meeting. The member may mute their sound but must keep their camera on during the meeting to continue counting toward the quorum. If a member is participating remotely for any other allowed purpose, their virtual presence does not count toward the quorum for the meeting, and a quorum of four board members must be physically present in order for a member to request remote participation. Previous Action: May 23, 2022 - WPAC adopted its Electronic Participation Policy. July 29, 2024 – WPAC readopted its Electronic Participation Policy. Staff Recommendation: That the WPAC adopt Resolution #25-01 authorizing remote participation in Williamsburg Public Art Council meetings during fiscal year 2026. Sample Motion: I move that the WPAC adopt Resolution #25-01 authorizing remote participation in Williamsburg Public Art Council meetings during fiscal year 2026. Page 6 of 7  RESOLUTION #25-1 A RESOLUTION TO READOPT THE REMOTE PARTICIPATION POLICY FOUND IN SEC. 2-34 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG FOR THE WILLIAMSBURG PUBLIC ART COUNCIL WHEREAS, pursuant to Sec. 2.2-3708.3(D) of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, every public body utilizing an electronic participation policy for its members to participate in meetings remotely must annually readopt said policy by affirmative vote of the members of the body; and WHEREAS, City Council has adopted a policy to allow for electronic participation in meetings by the members of boards, commissions, and committees of the City of Williamsburg in Sec. 2-34 of the Williamsburg City Code; and WHEREAS, the Williamsburg Public Art Council utilizes the policy found in Sec. 2-34 for its members to participate electronically in meetings of the Williamsburg Public Art Council, and desires to continue to utilize said policy. That being the case, it is therefore hereby RESOLVED that the Williamsburg Public Art Council hereby readopts the remote participation policy found in Sec. 2-34 of the Code of the City of Williamsburg for fiscal year 2026. Adopted: ________________________________ Chair Attest: __________________________________ Secretary Page 7 of 7