The Savannah City Council unanimously voted Thursday to approve a contract for hiring a company responsible for creating the city’s first Public Art Master Plan, which is aimed at bringing more art to public parks and city facilities. The vote was part of the purchasing items portion of the regular meeting of City Council on Aug. 8, 2024. According to an attachment to the meeting’s agenda, Designing Local (DBE) was awarded the contract, not to exceed $100,000, effectively immediately and expiring Aug. 8, 2025.

The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. It will ultimately return an ordinance on a Public Art Master Plan to the Mayor and City Council next summer for their consideration and potential approval.

“The public art master plan is the first step in establishing an ongoing public art program for the City of Savannah,” says the item description on the agenda. “The public art master plan will provide a cohesive citywide vision and process for public art to be installed in public parks and City of Savannah facilities throughout the city. This initiative responds to the city’s goal to improve access to the arts for residents living in all aldermanic districts. The planning process will emphasize inclusion and equity, including conversations with residents to determine how public art can be a part of their community.”
City Manager Jay Melder spoke about the contract with DBE, which he recommended for approval, prior to the council’s unanimous vote on Thursday. Melder noted that while no local vendors submitted a project proposal, the company chosen does have “ties with” local vendors.

“This is a big part of our year and was a specific goal of this council in 2024,” he said. “We expect the process to take 12 months before an ordinance is returned to the mayor and council sometime next summer. We did not get any local vendors with a proposal, but the winning bid does have local ties with partners.”

It is the first step towards the city’s publicly funded arts initiative, one which will be overseen by the Cultural Resources Department.

“There are many benefits to public art,” says the agenda item’s description.

“For neighborhoods, public art can be used to celebrate heritage and promote a sense of pride and ownership and can also be a catalyst for economic development, as public art installations serve as landmarks and destinations that draw visitors to explore neighborhoods. The public art program will engage the talents of Savannah artists who will work with residents to make art a part of their everyday lives.”

STORMWATER UTILITY STUDY APPROVED
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council approved a $300,000 contract for consultant services with Stantec Consulting to “Conduct a Stormwater Utility Implementation Study in an effort to more effectively and equitably address the city’s drainage issues, including increased maintenance requirements related to our aging and expanding drainage systems, and future impacts related to climate change,” according to the agenda item description.
“City staff has been evaluating a potential funding option whereby the revenue from a future Stormwater Utility user fee program (if enacted by City Council) would be dedicated solely to stormwater management service delivery.”

BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Prior to the regular meeting of council, a workshop was held to discuss items including appointments and approvals to various boards and commissions within the city. Each of the positions has different requirements for citizens applying to serve on them, and each has different term limits.

City Council made its decisions once the regular meeting began. Council approved former Johnson High School basketball coach Utaff Gordon’s appointment to the Savannah Recreation Commission to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Jean Bellemare in August 2023. Gordon has worked with City of Savannah leaders in the past to help orchestrate recreational events; he led the efforts to host the Inaugural Savannah Hoops Shootout (a two-day high school basketball showcase) last winter at Enmarket Arena. He will serve a three-year term.

Mary A. Snowden was appointed to the Chatham Area Transit (CAT) Authority to serve a five-year term. Sara Woodfield and Dwayne Stephens were appointed to the Historic District Board of Review (HDBR).

NEW VENUE STARTING NEXT MONTH
As City Hall continues to move through restoration projects happening throughout the building on Bay Street, the regular meetings of City Council will move to a new venue beginning after the next council meeting on Aug. 22. Approval of an arrangement with the Board of Education (BOE) Thursday means City Council will hold its meetings at the BOE building on Laurel Avenue beginning next month.

Starting with the meeting on Sept. 12, council will conduct its meetings at the BOE building through February 2025 while council chambers at City Hall are undergoing restoration and remodeling efforts.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I July 2024.