With the Raleigh City Council still wavering over whether it’ll go forward with a new $205 million public safety center, critics of the building are honing their sights on the project’s fine print.
Particularly irksome for Joey Stansbury, who heads the conservative group Wake Community PAC, is $705,000 slated to pay for public art at the 17-story building.
"It's a lack of priorities," said Stansbury.
But the money for public art is required by a city ordinance passed last spring that calls for all capital improvement projects, like the center, to dedicate as much as one-half of one percent of the total cost to art.
The Clarence E. Lightner building is priced at $140 million, giving way to the $705,000 estimate for art. The other $65 million in the Lightner project would cover design costs, relocation of police staff to two recently-bought buildings and the cost of outfitting the new building with furniture and equipment.
Nearly $21 million has already been spent by the city on the project though it hasn’t gotten the official go-ahead from the council. Giving the project a green light also means the council will be signing up for a politically risky property tax increase for Raleigh city residents.
The council will revisit the Lightner Center project at its Jan. 19 meeting. Approving it would mean a likely property tax increase of 8 percent over five years, which would also pay for $250 million worth of public works projects to put new maintenance facilities for city and a new wastew. Mayor Charles Meeker, who is pushing for the project to go forward, has said the current police, fire and emergency communications facilitates are inadequate and should have been updated years ago.
Meeker said there’s been no specific art works chosen for the building, but that including art in the budget makes what could be drab government buildings into something visually interesting. The entire $705,000 doesn’t need to be used for art, he said.
“The public art really is important,” he said.
Comments
Raleigh's proposed bill for art in new center: $705,000?????
Wed, 01/13/2010 - 08:47 — flolakeAre they serious? No. Not now. Not until the State's budget is balanced, unemployment in NC goes below 6% and some of those 'temporary taxes' (lol) vanish. The decor of a govt. bldg. is a luxury, for crap's sake; it's a no brainer. Almost 3/4 of a million dollars for artwork...? Somehow I find 87% of this figure as vulgar, even when the economy is doing well. Let NC artists go in and do murals or sculptures or whatever they'd like to contribute and bestow a tax write off to these artisits. Whoever's brainchild nearly a million dollars worth of art was; should be ashamed.
Priorities
Tue, 01/12/2010 - 00:02 — nancyncSo, the Mayor feels this building should have been replace years ago, and so what happens? Raleigh spent money on the constant revision of Fayetteville Street, how many times at what cost?
Sadly, the downtown Raleigh area is not attractive overall. I would much rather see those who do the REAL work for it's citizens ~ Police, Fire and Rescue ~ get what they need first and foremost at every turn.
Unfortunately, it didn't happen as it needed to, other priorities were in place and a lot of money wasted along the way.
Build the building but be realistic as to what is necessary vs what is purely a pet project for someone else.
I still shake my head everytime I see that light tower thing and wonder why money was spent on it.
Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 19:01 — marcus_stahlAs someone who is very knowledgeable about the current RPD Headquarters. The building is derilect. Its full of asbestos, its a lawyers dream for future lawsuits. It has more than lived past its prime RPD, RFD and 911 deserve better than what we currently have. I am NOT a fan of Mayor Meekers. But we need a new state of the art Safety Center. Allthough I think some of the green initiatives could wait. The building needs to be built, NOW, not later and definetely not scaled down, if we listen to Art Pope and his crowd, IT will never be built. His crowd, including Tom Fetzer, is why they built a 6 story City Hall, which should have in 1984 been 12 floors, not 6. it was too small then and now its, overflow is located at One Exchange Plaza, which is completely Full, Raleigh Citizens and Taxpayers we need to build this building now, not 5 years friom now when it will cost even more.
I love how this
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 17:51 — JoeTarheelI love how this ultra-conservated, close-minded crowd can complain about $20 that will cost them over several years to build a place to house the people who protect and serve our City on a daily basis while they waste this amount in 3 days on lattes.
Fortunately, for the Citizens of Raleigh, and for that matter, employees of Corporate America, rarely have to worry about these people leading any of these organizations. It takes a visionary to move a Company or a City forward.
Before you morons start chirping about how a 'company' chooses how to spend their own money' blah, blah blah...., please note that most all corporations benefit from the tax structure we have in place at a State and National level in some manner or another.
Visionaries? Depends my friend.
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 19:24 — PlatowasrightFirst your calling people morons because they disagree with you does not reflect well on you.
Second, you moan and groan about visionaries. Stalin, Mao and Hitler were visionaries too. It is not the volume with which a visionary speaks that makes a difference, it is the quality of the vision. The problem with Meeker and his merry band of tax and spenders is that less than 5% of Raleigh lives or goes downtown. The rest of us just pay higher taxes so that the 5% can enjoy their benefits at our expense. It has nothing to do with the scope of the vision, it has to do with what we prefer to do with our tax dollars, throwing one-half a billion dollars at yet another (failing) civic center/(half empty)taxpayer basketball dome/yet another expensive Fayetteville Street mall scheme/and the other wasteful expenditures downtown SIMPLY DOES NOT BENEFIT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE CITIZENS OF RALEIGH, ONLY THE MINISCULE NUMBER WHO LIVE OR GO THERE. Most of us happily spend our lives without ever having to go downtown. Why not use the money in a manner tht benefits more of us rather than the chosend 5%?
Bravo for downtown and for art investment
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 17:43 — johnfredThat comment about the core of Raleigh being in Brier Creek and other souless developments must have come from one of those transients who are here in Raleigh as a short-term stop off on their career trajectories. Who would choose to live in one of those converted cornfields as opposed to a downtown with a cultural and architectural heritage?
art
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:50 — newtonArt is a vital part of what makes a city livable for all of its residents and improves property values. Without art and aesthetics the whole city would look like a Walmart shopping center. Why don't we just stop all government spending in Raleigh and see how long it takes for the city to become unlivable.
Art from All
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:43 — occasionalIf every taxpayer in Raleigh donated just one painting, photograph, knitted wall hanging, poster, hanging sculpture or other object de art the City fathers could decorate every public space. If art is for everyone let everyone contribute to the making of art. I have a very tasteful Vegas Elvis on velvet that I will part with that would look fantastic right outside the Mayor's office. Heck, I'll also throw in a couple of family heirloom monkeys watersking that Antique Roadshow valued at thirty-seven dollars and eighty cents. They would be a welcome addition hanging over any of the many water fountains in the State House.
Art for new building
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:33 — profbamInteresting to note that during the Great Depression, art work was incorporated into many of the buildings put up by the WPA. The Section on Art and Sculpture at the Dept. of Treasury would hold competitions for murals and sculptures to go into the new post offices and other Federal buildings. So even though budgets were constrained and money was tight, they recognized the importance of art to the overall aesthetic of a building.
If you hop off of MARTA at the first stop leaving Atlanta airport and walk across the road, you can see my father's mural in the College Park US Post Office that was put up in 1938. Totally changes the lobby.
$700K out of a $205 million budget is a pittance. Of course Raleigh could pick one of Albert Speer's building plans instead. I would hope that they will operate as the Section at Treasury did by publishing what is wanted and having a competition. One of my father's submissions (about 20" X 24") for competition is housed in the Smithsonian and another was sold for a good sum by a west coast art dealer (I think my father was shorted on that one, oh well).
WASTING MONEY ON PUBLIC ART
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:21 — PlatowasrightHow typical is this of our tax and spend city council? I am sure that the city managers can find a huge number of artists who would be more than pleased to temporarily place their art in a new public safet center. Same for the million dollar money losing civic center, and the other money losing schemes that Meeker and his cronies have foisted on the tax payers in this city. $700,000 for art that could be had for free.
What an incredible waste, but then how typical it is.
A law enforcement building should follow the law.
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 15:15 — RonBAs bad as the facilities were/are in the current building, they are probably bad/worse in the new temporary building.
And the new building deserves better than the "art" in Triangle Town Center (exhibits from schools marganalized in seldom used corridors) or Brier Creek (nothing).
It never ceases to amaze me that people who don't run for office, let alone live in Raleigh, feel they can dictate what everyone else does.
These dic-tators are always complaining about freedom while they do whatever they can to take freedom from others.
Waste
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 15:11 — omegamanRaleigh could fix a lot of potholes with the money to be spent on art. How about framing some of the art work of the school children? That's something you can grow with!
And, by the way, take a look at who sponsored the idea of fixing a certain monetary percentage for art into the building budget. Guess who! I don't think it was anyone on Main Street.
Meeker will stop at nothing to become a Senator
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:33 — benlevIt is pitfuly that Mayor Meeker spends so much money trying to pump up a moribund Downtown that he just spent a ton on money for signs every mile around the city that point to "Raleigh Downtown". Give it up Mr. Mayor, It doesn't matter how many people you pander to in downtown; you are not going to get a higher office. We need hair for that. The majority of the population lives North of Raleigh and "down town Raleigh" is closer to the RBC center. North Hill, Briar Creek, Wake Field Plantation are all booming areas. People go because the want to. Mayor Meeker is pouring money into downtown to win votes. In my opinion, its criminal.
Maybe you should visit downtown?
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 16:50 — nandoid321You obviously don't come to down town very often. Try coming on a First Friday or any other number of evening events down town. We have a growing and vibrant culture that surpasses many large southern cities. Down town Atlanta is a grave yard at night and not very safe.
On a typical weekend night in Raleigh you will see families going to the IMAX, people walking from restraunt to restraunt and galleries filled with patrons.
Downtown Raleigh has had a HUGE turn around since Fayetteville Street reopened and it is good for our City. People who come here from real cities appreciate it which encourages large businesses to think of us when they relocate.
While there is nothing wrong with places like Wakefield the like, there is no "center" unless you count big box retailers who take our money, but things from China and line non-NC pocket with the profits.
If you never leave your little corner, it makes sense that you would think that's where the action is.
It's a big world, get out some and you may see something you like.
Those art snobs!
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 13:23 — rfhs102857Who needs to have a city worth looking at? Lets just build Raleigh into a concrete wasteland, like North Capital Blvd, a perfect monument to the Fetzer/Coble vision of the future..
What a waste of money. Buy
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 12:56 — jesmyopinionWhat a waste of money. Buy some inexpensive paintings from the dollar store - only the art snobs would be able to tell the difference and their opinion should not be taken into consideration... Just another example of government waste - I am glad I do not live in Raleigh so do not have to put up with Meeker and his wasteful spending.
And while we are at it
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 17:03 — nandoid321Why don't we put the police in T-shirts that are "printed" to look like uniforms.
We can have all public buildings look like Walmarts and have the public works department put in rocks where we now have flowers and grass.
Think of the money we would save!
The we could sell all the parks and open areas in the city to private developers who could throw together some shabby cookie cutter houses.
Let's take it Federal too. Why does the President need that fancy White House? Seems that a doouble wide would work with some concrete bunkers around it. Or better yet, portable school classrooms?!
Some of the greatest works of art (the Sistine Chapel comes to mind) have been "government commissioned" work. Look at the beauty of Washington DC and the monuments and buildings.
Government buildingd should have a soul and not just be boxes to hold people. And while I think it would be funny to have some "Dogs Playing Poker" pictures from the dollar store, that's not what these buildings are supposed to be about.