Indian Wells City Council
Goals for Fiscal Year 2015-17:
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Beautify the Highway 111 Corridor
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
DISCUSSION and DIRECTION relating to this strategic goal.
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Co-Champions: Ken Seumalo, Public Works Director
Warren Morelion, Community Development Director
Nancy Samuelson, Director of Marketing & Community Services
Desired Outcomes: Beautify Highway 111 corridor retaining the unique character of Indian Wells.
Action Items Status
1. Define Cook Street and Highway 111 Improvements Attached
2. Improve frontage of commercial properties Completed
3. Determine use of Arts in Public Places funds April 2016
DISCUSSION:
The Indian Wells portion of Highway 111 corridor is unique in comparison to the Coachella Valley. Beautification efforts have taken place over many years from new medians, revamping of the Cook/Highway 111 turn lanes, to landscaping the parkway along Mountain View Villas Phase II and near Hole 17 of the Players Course. The Art in Public Places Program provides an opportunity to fund further improvements to the corridor, such as the recently completed the Carl Bray Monument located east of Miles Avenue on Highway 111.
At the 2015 Strategic Planning workshop, the Council directed Staff to identify possible art projects and locations, to analyze how to best use those funds to continue to beautify the Highway 111 corridor, and to define a potential project for the Cook/Highway 111 intersection.
The Art in Public Places Program started in 2003 to encourage developers to either design art as part of their project, or pay a fee for City development of art for the benefit of the public. Between 2007 and 2012, the City evaluated how to use Arts and Public Places funds for the intersection of Cook Street and Highway 111. The discussion included a potential water feature, a sculpture, designing a park-like setting, and replanting the Date Palm Grove.
Define Cook Street and Highway 111 Improvements
The northeast corner of Cook Street and Highway 111 is approximately 1.6 acres and currently has a date palm grove consisting of 64 trees. The south side is approximately 1.2 acres and includes 29 trees. All of trees on the north side have reached their full height of 60-feet and are in need of replacement. Staff has developed three (3) design alternatives for the northeast and southeast corners of Cook Street and Highway 111.
Alternate 1: Replace Date Palm Groves
Remove and replace the date palm grove at both corners with 15 to 20-foot trees so both sides have matching configurations and spacing to provided uniform aesthetically pleasing appearance. The number and configuration of the Date Palm trees can be adjusted to fit the available budget.
Estimated Cost: From $328,000 to $561,000
Alternate 2: Construct Water Features
The water feature alternative was discussed prior to the State’s drought conditions. Water features vary in cost depending on size and types. They can have changing lights and programmable water cannons for a water “dance” effect down to a more traditional cascading water over rocks or tile. The acreage of the site plays a role as to scale of the water feature. The use of landscaping can enhance the water feature and limit costs.
Estimated Cost: Varies from $370,000 to several million dollars depending on the options, plus maintenance costs. As a comparison for maintenance costs, the City pays $2,320 per month for weekly maintenance on both fountains at Indian Wells Lane.
Alternate 3: Commission Sculptures
The City has discussed the installation of sculptures at this site. One previous proposal was a sculpture of a tennis player and golfer (one at each corner) to symbolize the City’s main recreation activities. Other Cities have used sculptures along the roadways or at their City Halls.
Estimated Cost: Ranges from $15,000 to over $450,000 depending on the size of the sculpture and reputation of the artist. The cost of a sculpture to fit in the roundabout at the north end of Indian Wells Lane would range between $225,000 and $350,000.
Art Projects and Locations
The Art in Public Places Program does not restrict the placement or location of art; it identifies the use of art in public and private venues as a benefit to the citizens and visitors. Staff researched the methodology used by other Coachella Valley cities and found a broad-spectrum approach. The variety of art ranges from murals on buildings to sculptures along roadways. Indian Wells has an opportunity to use a variety of locations to place sculptures:
• The lawn at City Hall fronting Highway 111
• Within the streetscape along Highway 111
• Along Indian Wells Lane leading to the Golf Resort and resort hotels
Palm Desert has a program, which offers an Honorarium of $2,500 to an artist to provide a sculpture along El Paseo for a 2-year cycle after which the piece is returned to the artist. This method of displaying art is also used by the cities of Pasadena, Newport Beach and North Hollywood. The amount of the honorarium varies from $1,500 to $5,000 per art piece.
Considerations for location:
• Easily accessible art from a sidewalk is susceptible to damage or vandalism.
• The speed of the roadway
o Time to see and enjoy the artwork
o Potential for art work to be a distraction
• Number of displays
o Spacing
o Biannual cost
An opportunity exists to enhance the entrance experience for visitors and residents to the Indian Wells Campus by placing art at the corner of Highway 111 and along Indian Wells Lane. This option also supports the City’s Mission Statement by providing “…outstanding amenities to enhance our image as a prestigious community and international resort destination.”
The approval process for the selection of art was established by Resolution No. 2003-59, the Art in Public Places Fee. The proposed artwork and its proposed location shall be submitted to the City’s Planning Commission for review with final approval resting with the City Council.
Attachments:
1. Art/fountain examples
2. Strategic Goal 4