Cedar Rapids council approves 2 percent of construction budgets for public art

A little piece of West Des Moines may be coming to Cedar Rapids.

At the recommendation of new City Manager Jeff Pomeranz, the City Council last night agreed to set aside an amount equal to 2 percent of its capital-improvement budget for major projects to use for public art and other aesthetic improvements.

Pomeranz helped create a similar visual-arts ordinance in West Des Moines, where he served as city manager for 12 years until coming to Cedar Rapids in September.

In July, council members said they wanted to change a 1994 city resolution to say that the city “shall” use 1 percent of a project's budget for visual enhancements, not “may” use the funds. Street and utility projects were to be exempt. The council also wanted to place the funds into one pool so certain projects might get more and others less depending on the need.

The Pomeranz recommendation adopted by the council last night sets aside 2 percent of the city's capital improvement budget, excluding costs for land, bond sales, project administration and legal fees, in a funding pool for visual enhancements. Of the total, 50 percent would go for public art, 25 percent toward other aesthetic improvements and 25 percent for maintenance and insurance on the art and aesthetic improvements.

The city estimates that it would put $74,197 into the visual-enhancement pool for the rest of the current fiscal year and $334,286 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, at the 1-percent level, and $148,394 this fiscal year and $668,572 in the next at the 2-percent level.