HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-01-2016 Minutes City of Auburn Arts Commission,City Hall Annez, One Main, Conference Room 7
Tuesday, Mareh 1,2076 Meeting Minutes
Present: Charlotte Gollnick, Jan Jensen, Patricia Judd, Heather Longhurst, Colleen Maloney, DeNae
McGee, Donna Smart, Arts Coordinator Maija McKnight Excused: Nancy Colson, Cary Davidson, Trudi
Moses, Dan Norman, Ronie Schwend Guests: Duanna Richardson, Lauren Flemister, City of Auburn
Urban Design Planner, Planning & Development, Duanna Richards, Community Progrems Coordinator,
Mayors Office
I. Call to Order, Apprbval of Minutes, Introductions and Approval of Minutes:
Chair McGee called the meeting to order at 4:29 pm_ Commissioner Jensen moved to approve the
February 2016 meeting minutes. Commissioner Gollnick seconded the motion. All approved. Motion
approved.
II. City of Auburn Sister Cities Program
Community Programs Coordinator, Duanna Richards provided an informational presentation on the City
of Auburn Washington Sister Cities Association (AWSCA). The AWSCA is a volunteer organization
whose focus is to promote, organize and maintain sister city relationships with similar communities
around the world. The AWSCA provides the framework for each of the Auburn Sister City committees to
engage in fostering internationai relations through educational, cultural, recreational, governmental and
economic activities. City of Auburn Sister Cities include Tamba, Japan, Pyeongchang, Korea, Guanghan,
China and in the planning stages of agreement is Mola di Bari, Italy
The Sister City program is coordinated by the AWSCA, an independent non-profit with board
representation from the City of Auburn, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Board, Auburn School District,
Green River College, as well as a representative from the Auburn Arts Commission. Greg Watson,
former Arts Commissioner, served as the Arts Commission representative for the past six years and are
now seeking a new representative to serve on this board. Richards noted, that much of the exchange
relationship is cultural and arts is such an integral component of culture that this representative is key
Arts Commissioners are encouraged to consider serving on this board and asked to contact Duanna
Richards directly with questions and interest.
An upcoming project in which the Sister Cities progrem has been working with Arts staff is for the
development and creation of Auburn-themed art notecards. A project similar had been completed three
years prior, and asked artists to submit Auburn-themed artwork that could be reproduced on notecards an
other items as part of gift packages that could be brought during visits and exchanges. The artwork is
requested to represented Auburn or Pacifc Northwest themes and a licensing fee is provided to selected
artists. A call-to-artists was distributed with the details and will be posted on the call-to-artist tab of the
website and included in upcoming e-newsletters.
III. Downtown Planning Initiatives
Urban Design Planner Lauren Flemister provided an overview and update on two current downtown
Planning initiatives the Main Street Urban Design and the Faqade Improvement Grent Program.
The Main Street Urban design efforts is a focused initiative to develop a plan for the improvement of
Auburn's Main Street from E Street NE to C Street SW Consultants SvR/Mig Consulting has been
working with the City for the past 12 months to develop design recommendations that were developed in
concert with City staff and numerous open house/community outreach design events. The two concepts
include physical changes to the streetscape, and incorporate concepts that focus on the history of Auburn
and highlight these important concepts. It was noted, that through community and council review aspects
of both of these plans were deemed important, and so the consultant is not working to merge the two
concepts into one cohesive design. The first of the two concepts is "Rail Rooms"which alludes to
Auburn's history and present as a rail town and incorporates rail ties into seating and sidewalk details as
well as is more linear and relies on straight edges throughout. The second concept is"Rivers and
Eddies" that focuses on the river that used to run throughout downtown and incorporates a more organic
and natural flow and curvature of lines.
The Downtown Fapade Improvement Grant is a City run funding program that seeks to preserve and
enhance the charm of the Downtown commercial area through strategic physical improvements to the
buildings. Buildings within the Business Improvement Area(BIA) are eligible to apply for funds to
repair/upgradelmaintain the exterior fayade of their building. Council has approved $200,000 to be
awarded over the next iwo years and Lauren spoke about the variery of projects that have received
funding in 2015, including, but not limited to Zola's Caf� Signage (402 East Main), the re-facing of 230
Auburn Way South, and the Auburn Masonic Temple (302 East Main).
IV SOCO Culture—Arts Commissfoner Retreat
Commissioners Smart, Gollnick and Judd attended the February 24, 2016 Arts Commissioner retreat
organized and hosted by SOCO Culture (South County Cultural Organizations). Arts Commissioners
from throughout the South County Cities were in attendance to share information and learn about how the
work that they do within their own communities compares and relates to others in the region. Karen
Hanan, Executive Director of Arts Wa as weil as many of the 4Culture Staff were in attendance to lead
group discussions and answer specific questions. Topics included the upcoming Cultural Access
Washington initiative, Economic Impact of the Arts and Arts Education. Commissioner Smart noted that
Kent and 4Culture managed a grant program "Give me Culture"which allows for smaller grant
opportunities throughout the year which serves the grassroots projects that come up outside the regular
calendar and requested to discuss this for Auburn's granting program. Multiple handouts were distributed
at the meeting and McKnight proposed to compile and re-distribute at the next meeting.
V Updates and Upcoming Events
Commissioner Jensen requested ctarification from the February miriutes on the status and completion
date of several public art projects. Staff spoke to the status of the Maker Space temporary public art
project that will be installed in the new community center, the Community center public artwork by Virginia
Paquette, and the spoke to the recent Auburn Reporter news article on the Big Daddy signage.
Commissioner Smart noted, that having a recording of the creation process of the public art piece that will
be in the community center may be something to look into having created.
Commissioner McGee, Maloney Judd and Gollnick were in attendance at the State of the City address
on Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Auburn Avenue Theater and reported.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:56 pm
Respectfully submitted, Maija McKnight