TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Jeffrey L. Oris, CEcD, Public Art Advisory Board Liaison
DATE: August 27, 2024
Title
INFORMATION REGARDING THE I-95 SOUND WALL PROJECT
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
No action required this item is informational only
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Background:
At the Public Art Advisory Board meeting on 7/23/2024, member of the public/newly appoint but not yet installed PAAB member Montre Bennett, enquired as to the status of the remainder of the I-95 Sound Wall Project. In 2020, the City caused to be installed a mural covering two panels of the I-95 sound wall with portraits of prominent members of the community's past. Mr. Bennett indicated the projects was supposed to have additional murals on the wall. Neither staff nor any member of the Board knew anything about additional murals. Staff indicated they would do some research and report findings back to the PAAB at the August Meeting.
Attached to this item can be found the documents staff located through initial research. While there is more research to be done as there are still holes in the timeline and history of the project, significant information was located. A number of public meetings were held to determine the scope of the project. It was ultimately determined that project would consist of 8 panels painted with murals of prominent members of the community's past should be painted in 4 separate areas of the wall, along the east side of the wall at: SW 3rd Street, SW 2nd Street, and SW 1st Street (none of the sites was identified as any particular phase number. Each of these sections would comprise a separate phase of the project. On March 6, 2018, the City Commission approved the execution of a Community Aesthetic Feature Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for Phase I of the project (and only Phase I), a two panel mural to e located on the I-95 sound wall at the intersection of SW 6th Street and SW 17th Avenue. FDOT did not execute the agreement until February 6, 2020. At some unknown time, a call to artists was released and an artist selected. The project was completed at some as of yet unknown time prior to the start of 2022.
Only Phase I was funded, and while the initial application to FDOT acknowledged three future phases, none of the additional phases was included in the agreement with FDOT.
This is all the information that has been located to date. Staff will endeavor to complete the story and timeline through additional research and report back to the PAAB at a future meeting.
City Attorney Review:
N/A
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
N/A
Timing of Request:
N/A