Facts 1: The City of Sandpoint received a grant from the Idaho Transportation Department to improve the downtown area. The Sandpoint Arts Commission submitted proposals for an archway near the Panida and received approximately 7 submissions. Of those 7 submissions, the Sandpoint Arts Council chose a design proposed by Nelson Boren. The design uses recycled materials with a fish theme.
Conclusion 1: Public art is tricky. I like public art that is interactive, i.e. it can be moved, climbed on, etc. In this case, Nelson Boren is a very distinguished artist. I also really like the aspect of using recycled materials. I had concerns that the design which allowed the fish to "chime" in the wind would be loud. It appears that the fish can be detuned to avoid this situation if the chiming is obnoxious to downtown businesses. I approved the design because I believe that it will be an interested addition to our downtown and I like public art. The archway will cost the City nearly nothing because it will be paid for by the Idaho Transportation Department.
Issue 2: New commercial zoning.
Facts 2: The City of Sandpoint's commercial zoning has remained largely unchanged for the last twenty years. After a very long process, we considered new regulations for the commercial zones. The process that we used was exhaustive. The planning and zoning commission had approximately 8 meetings on the code sections. The Council had a workshop on the proposed changes which bored down into the details. So at this meeting we are really addressing only a few problem areas.
Conclusion 2: I'm happy with this zoning. I think that it is dramatically better than what we have in place. Attached is a copy of my letter to the Daily Bee regarding the changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment