Olympia’s Community Livability and Public Safety Committee approved the Arts Commission's request to add the Grass Lake Nature Park public art installation project to its 2023 work plan.
Stephanie Johnson, Arts Program and Planning supervisor said the Grass Lake Nature Park was not part of the Arts Commission's 2023 work plan. "But the Grass Lake project had a timeline that needed attention sooner than later."
Johnson talked about the potential repurposing of a stainless steel tank, which could be the center for the public art installation project. The tank, approximately 23 feet long and 10 in diameter, has been a permanent fixture in the Grass Lake Nature Park.
The park covers 195.71 acres and is home to 100 bird species and 200 plant species.
Grass Lake Nature Park improvements are in the pipeline under the Parks, Arts & Recreation plan.
The development includes the installation of paved, accessible shared-use trails that will stretch from Kaiser Road to the gravel maintenance road leading to the Harrison Avenue parcel. A new trailhead would be constructed with ten parking stalls, including designated spaces for school buses.
The plan also includes putting a bird blind, which would provide visitors shelter while bird watching.
According to Johnson, the construction plan triggered the ordinance for public art.
Olympia has established two funding sources to support public art projects. The first is a $1 per capita allocation from the city's general fund, which has been in place since 1990. The second is a dedicated 1% for art set aside for city construction projects exceeding $500,000 in value.
They are considering crafting an entire public art installation centered around the tank, including transforming it into a bird blind. The budget allocated for this project is $29,786.
Part of the Park's improvement plan is to remove the tank. The trail construction will start in July 2024, followed by the building of the boardwalk in mid-August. The installation of the bird blind will follow after the completion of boardwalk construction, which is projected to be in late September.
"Bringing in artists as soon as possible will help inform how the tank is removed for best access and repurposing some of that structure," Johnson noted.
The CLPS would bring the recommendation to the city council for consideration.
If approved by the city council, Johnson said the council would start drafting a Call for Art to be reviewed by the Arts Commission.
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1Cochamamba9
A small portion of the proposed $29,786 would go a long ways to remove invasive plant species [English Holly, Canary grass, Scotch Broom, English Ivy] at Grass Lake - and have a long lasting positive impact on the entire area. There seems to be plenty of funding for promoting arts and culture projects but $0 for removing invasive plant species.
Friday, August 25, 2023 Report this
TheVirtualOne
All this “improvement” to Grass Lake Nature Park is just going to mess the area up. The city of Olympia should just leave it in its natural state. There are natural trails there already. Adding pavement, art work, and boardwalks is only going to lead to more people, trash, and destruction of what is already a beautiful place. The additional development of the park is only going to scare away the animals that call it home now. But it will get some city park manager attention, a raise, and a promotion.
Friday, August 25, 2023 Report this