Other issues

By Michael A. "Mike" Lambert

Bayfront Park is an underutilized asset that costs our city significant revenue. The city continues to pour money into it with no end in sight because of the desires of a vocal minority. There are opportunities for greater active use and opportunities for revenue generation, but investment in this asset needs to be prudently made for this to come about. I would like to see the park become an attractive site that will provide recreation to our residents and visitors as well be a premiere wildlife habitat. 

Percent for Art Ordinance

I, as well as most, enjoy public art, and I believe that the community experience is richer with the addition of public art. Four years ago I spoke to City Council about my objection to this ordinance. I argued that this ordinance was an unfair burden targeting only the owners of commercial property, our businesses, while our entire community, businesses and residents, received the benefit. Relative to the issue of fairness, I felt that this ordinance was discriminatory as it placed the entire burden of public art on a very small sector of our community, those who wished to remodel or build commercial property. My take on the city's adoption of this ordinance was and is that this was simply a way to bring public art to this community, a community benefit, without the community carrying the burden. Our community is attempting to get a free ride at the expense of business. In keeping with my philosophy of always paying my own way, and expecting others to do the same, I felt that this was a proposition our city should not be part of. 

I have always felt, and I believe that history will support the notion that public art is a gift, a gift from a community to itself or it is a gift of a benefactor to the community. What this ordinance did was make Public Art a commodity, simply another fee that was required to be paid for the right to improve one's property. 

My recommendation is that our city council search for an equitable program to replace the Percent for Art Ordinance.