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Palm Coast Council Sharply Divided Over Making Large Developers Pay ‘Minuscule’ Fee for Public Art

October 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Copper Tritscheller’s “Burro With Bird on Shoulder” in Town Center's Central Park has been lonely since a 2020 installation that was to open the way for a lot more public art. The Burro's eyes on City Hall were disappointed by the council's divided enthusiasm over expanding the city's public art capabilities in a vote last month. The council tries again next week. (© FlaglerLive)
Copper Tritscheller’s “Burro With Bird on Shoulder” in Town Center’s Central Park has been lonely since a 2020 installation that was to open the way for a lot more public art. The Burro’s eyes on City Hall were disappointed by the council’s divided enthusiasm over expanding the city’s public art capabilities in a vote last month. The council tries again next week. (© FlaglerLive)

The Palm Coast City Council is divided over a modest program to fund public art installations that would require larger developers to devote half of a percent of the value of their project to the arts. One council member calls it “awesome.” Another says it “makes no sense.” A third is “torn.”

The program was well received when the city administration initially presented options in late August. Finding a dedicated funding source for arts, culture and history is among the council’s priorities. And the program as conceived mirrors established programs in other cities and counties in the state. But on Oct. 15, it was Mayor David Alfin–who has spoken enthusiastically of supporting the arts in the past–who sniffed.




“I just want to make sure we’re not chasing a dream here that’s, you know, unrealistic,” Alfin said. “I’m not saying the concept is wrong, but I don’t want to be creating an expectation here where something’s going to happen and nothing’s going to happen.”

It’s not clear why Alfin was casting the plan in those terms. The administration was presenting its mechanics in the most pragmatic and realistic terms. But Alfin voted no in the ordinance’s first reading, joining Council member Ed Danko in opposition. “This is something we should not go into at all,” Danko said before even hearing the administration’s presentation.

Nick Klufas, Charles Gambaro and Theresa Pontieri voted to approve.

The program is to “ensure the city of Palm Coast recognizes the enormous cultural, esthetic and economic value of the community vitality that the arts will bring to the city,” in Parks Director James Hirst’s words. Private developments and redevelopments would be required to participate, as long as the projects exceed $1 million. If a developer was building a $1 million commercial structure, say, in Town Center, the developer would have to devote $5,000 for the public art fund. A $10 million project would yield $50,000. Hirst called it “pretty minuscule.” (The administration is preparing a report that would provide more exact numbers based on ongoing projects.) The fund would include maintenance of the art work.




An arts-in-public-places committee would review proposed art installations and recommend (or reject) submissions, which are to comply with certain standards that have yet to be approved. It wouldn’t be dissimilar from the system in place for monuments that end up at the city’s Heroes Park on Palm Coast Parkway. The works are to be by “artists exhibiting the highest quality of skill and esthetic principle,” Hirst said. Reproductions and mass-produced works will not be accepted.

A developer could have the fee waived if the development were to incorporate its own public art or donate something to a public or private space (the committee may approve the siting of art on private grounds). The council would have final say on all installations. In principle, the works must be accessible to the public, since it’s public art.

“I think this is awesome. I think that this is a way to fund arts, culture and history in our community,” Pontieri said. “We just had the conversation, not just a few weeks ago, about how we have our historical society camping out in what should be probably a restroom building in the back of Holland Park, whereas a fund like this can help them actually have a home somewhere, and can fund the furtherance of preservation of our history in the community, which I think is vital. Arts have a great impact on especially our youth, and I think that that’s incredibly important.”




Pontieri spoke of volunteer organizations not getting traction to fund the arts. It’s true. The last few years have seen several once-beloved organizations vanish–the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, the Flagler County Art League, JJ Graham’s Salvo Art Project. United We Art, the organization the city intended to oversee the arts district in Town Center the city established in 2020, has fallen apart. The Flagler Playhouse in Bunnell mas made a nomad after fire destroyed its home. The city still awards small grants to a dozen or so local arts and culture groups, but the grants have always been small.

“Point-five percent of commercial developments over a million dollars is a drop in the bucket for those developers,” Pontieri said. “But that amount of money can have a very good impact, an impactful change on our community for this specific endeavor.” Nothing in the plan forces developers to contribute the art or judge it, or to accept art approved by the city if developers prefer to provide their own art.

Klufas saw it the same way: “This is a way to force a development to invest in our community,” he said. “Over the last eight years, I have seen a lot of tremendous people and organizations struggle to try to fundraise, to be able to do things of this magnitude.”

There are exemptions, including single family homes in Palm Coast’s original section, and such things as remodelings and additions.




Alfin, calling himself “torn,” doesn’t deny that the investment in the arts is vital, but he is concerned about timing, with the city facing significant capital needs.

“We’re basically trying to get builders to pay for art,” Danko said. “I prefer to have roads and pipes and things of that nature. I’m also concerned on who gets to pick the art.” He called it “government art,” which Pontieri rejected outright: government would not create the art.

“I refuse to sit here and say, well, this isn’t where I think our money should go,” Pontieri said, “but let’s not go ahead and ask them to put money anywhere. That’s not okay.” She made the motion to approve the proposal, which passed 3-2. But it must clear a second reading next week.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeani Whitemoon Duarte says

    October 28, 2024 at 5:47 pm

    They have been VOTED OUT In The Primary. Why are they making any decisions on anything at this point? They need to just walk away and let the new Mayor and Council doe their job. Except for Pontieri, she needs to go too. I don’t trust all her flip flop.

    3
  2. Callmeishmael says

    October 28, 2024 at 7:23 pm

    Read the room.

    Make it a priority that developers pay their current and long overdue share to improve our roads and wastewater infrastructure.

    Call it the Art of Governing.

    19
  3. Ric Flair says

    October 29, 2024 at 12:52 am

    There is a growing movement in this town called F%#$ the Arts or more commonly known as FARTS. It stands for fixing our drainage issues. We dont need 96 million dollar baseball fields, pickle ball courts or whatever nonsense this council wants to approve. We need street widening and a solution to the drainage issues as our top priority. We have never had homes in this city flood and now we do. That flooding can be placed squarely in the lap of our council.

    13
  4. Full of it says

    October 29, 2024 at 7:12 am

    David Alfin such a fake. He had no problem using arts when he campaigned. He used all the arts people and the FC 3 board. It’s clear at Danko still after four years does not understand impact fees. It’s an additional impact fee on commercial development. Read your packet Danko.

    This is only for Large commercial development. These type of developers are used to paying this type of impact fee all over the country. It’s very tiny. What a ridiculous board people who can’t understand this.

    8
  5. Kendall says

    October 29, 2024 at 8:28 am

    They can pay for infrastructure AND art.

    10
  6. Biden says

    October 29, 2024 at 1:00 pm

    Make them pay for water system expansion or stop building houses without proper infrastructure. Passing the bill to everyone else is scandalous but that’s what Republicans do. Talk financial discipline then spend more than dems to get them and their buddies richer.

    3
  7. FlaPharmTech says

    October 29, 2024 at 2:36 pm

    Art is wonderful. Love our turtles! But please, please prioritize the sewer system upgrade and other vital infrastructure repairs. And make developers pay!

    4
  8. Laurel says

    November 2, 2024 at 5:14 pm

    OH, thanks for the laugh!

    Art in public places, good. Developers to kick in, good. “Burro With Bird on Shoulder.” What?

    I so wish I could find the cartoon by Jerry Van Amerongen that shows a deader than a door nail, taxidermy stuffed squirrel, laying upside down across a cultural theater seat with the simple caption “Art in Public Places.” Hilarious!

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