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Home My WebLink AboutMJCIP Apps (39)RRRCITY OF PALM SPRINGS MEASURE J COMMUNITY INITIATED PROJECTS APPLICATION FORM Name of Applicant: El Rancho Vista Estates Date Submitted: 9/30/2024 Applicant Type: Neighborhood Name of Organization: El Rancho Vista Estates If yes, provide IRS ID# Tell us about your project: 1.Project Name: Gateway Park Public Art 2.Project Address: Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino, Palm Springs 3.Project Type: Grant 4.This project improves: Park/Recreation/Hiking Facilities, Public Art, Streets/Roads, Tourism 5. What demographic(s) does this project serve? Entire Palm Springs Community 6. Estimated project cost: $36,400.00 7. Short description of proposed project. As a city entry monument site, Gateway Park is an ideal spot for public art. The project aligns with Measure J goals to enhance quality of life for residents and visitors. A traffic count along the park’s east edge is estimated at 38,000 vehicles per day, with cars often sitting idle near the arteries intersection. On the park’s west edge, El Rancho Vista Estates is an enclave of mid century modern homes designed by Wexler & Harrison and developed by Roy Fey in 1960. Thus this application reinforces Palm Springs’ mid century history. Modernism Week tour- goers walk through the park en route from one street to another. In keeping with the mid century modern aesthetic, we propose installation of a sculpture titled “Ode to Calder.” Public-art installations by Oregon-based artist CJ Rench span the country, and he has connections to the Coachella Valley. He exhibits at La Quinta Arts Festival (Best of Show in 2017) and is working with La Quinta on public art at SilverRock Resort. Applicant’s information: Name of Contact Person: El Rancho Vista Estates Contact Person’s Phone Number:(760) 557-0226 Contact Person’s Email Address: ervenops@gmail.com SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION FOR MEASURE J APPLICATION GATEWAY PARK PUBLIC ART SUBMITTED BY EL RANCHO VISTA ESTATES GATEWAY PARK HISTORY Gateway Park is the site of a city monument sign at the heavily trafficked intersection of Vista Chino and Gene Autry Trail. The 1.72-acre park was created from federal stimulus funds in 2009 — transforming an unmaintained strip of debris-fllled sand and brush into an undulating landscape with a curved walkway, pathway lighting, plantings, benches, and pair of bocce ball courts. The park bolstered the value of homes in El Rancho Vista Estates and enhanced the views for travelers on the major artery of Gene Autry Trail. The city capitalized on the improvement and the location’s signiflcance as one where people enter the city from the north and east by installing “Palm Springs” monument signage that became and remains popular among professional photographers and tourists capturing Instagram-worthy images. And yet intentions in initial plans for the park to integrate public art never materialized. The park has about a quarter mile of frontage along Gene Autry Trail immediately south of Vista Chino. It bears noting that vehicles often sit idle while waiting at the intersection, particularly during a lane or road closure (which has happened many times). PROGRESSION AND COMMITMENT OF EL RANCHO VISTA ESTATES El Rancho Vista Estates dates back to 1959-1960, when architect Donald Wexler (now a local icon of midcentury modern architecture) designed three fioorplans/roofiines for a residential develop- ment by Roy Fey (also a local icon in the category of housing). The neighborhood, grounded in Wexler designs and supplemented by ranch homes built in the late ’60s and early ’70s, was overlooked for decades. But this hidden gem of Palm Springs’ history rose like a phoenix upon people outside the Coachella Valley fiocking to Modernism Week, coupled with a real estate boom. In particular, people in Los Angeles and Orange counties invested in the community, buying and renovating properties to serve as second homes or to “fiip.” This activity spurred investment by full-time homeowners who gained an appreciation for and pride in what they owned. Then, people who primarily resided outside of Palm Springs but had ERVE homes began engaging more in this community. Indeed, many of them opened their properties for Modernism Week tours. El Rancho Vista Estates has participated in Modernism Week neighborhood tours for many years and attracted visitors not only from other cities and states, but also from other countries. In fact, tour revenues paid for three neighborhood (lit) monuments signs (two of which can be seen from traffic heading both directions on Vista Chino). Tourgoers often walk through Gateway Park, as our streets are dead ends that meet the park to the east. El Rancho Vista Estates is not a gated community with an HOA and thus does not collect dues from residents. However, it is registered as a Palm Springs Neighborhood Organization and has bylaws and a board, a member of which attends ONE-PS meetings on behalf of the neighborhood. In addition to Modernism Week, the neighborhood participates in the Festival of Lights Parade. Our residents are active in many local events and nonproflt organizations. El Rancho Vista Estates, guided by its neighborhood organization, stands committed to ease the fiow of communications, coordination, etc., in order to limit the amount of city staff time needed to bring the Measure J project to fruition. We have established a rapport with the artist and are confldent that he not only has experience in large-scale sculpture fabrication and installation but also is accommodating to his clients’ needs and desires. PROPOSAL BACKGROUND El Rancho Vista Estates representatives appeared before the Public Arts Commission in December 2023 and January 2024 with a proposal to create the city’s flrst sculpture park. The idea was to embark upon such a transformational project with an initial installation of two or three comple- mentary works. To that end, the neighborhood organization submitted a trio of sculptures for consideration. Those artists and designs were selected after considerable research and with the intent to help the commission by (1) making the concept easy to envision, (2) potentially eliminating the need for commission members to start from square one, and (3) to have “preapproval” from residents who stood to be affected. The commission did not move forward with our proposal. ARTIST’S CONNECTIONS AND EXPERIENCE Based in Oregon and having more than 50 public art installations in East and West coast states and Minnesota, CJ Rench also has Coachella Valley connections. He has sold more than 35 midscale sculptures and more than 70 smaller works to Coachella Valley residents. He has four large public art sculptures in La Quinta: three in SilverRock Resort and a U.S. Marines memorial in the city’s Civic Center Campus. He has been juried into the La Quinta Art Festival/Celebration for seven straight years (winning best of sculpture in 2015 and best of show in 2019), and his sculptures have been chosen twice for Palm Desert’s El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition. Images and a list of his public art installations can be viewed at cjrdesignstudio.com. The Palm Desert connection creates a “wrinkle” in our Measure J funds application, to -wit: Wanting to bring his artistic vision to life, the artist proceeded to fabricate the design that El Rancho Vista Estates presented to the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission in 2023 and in the Measure J application. Palm Desert chose the design for its recently installed 2025-2026 El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition. The artist has thus offered an alternative design, titled “In the Middle.” A conceptual rendering is included with this supplemental information submission. The work measures 10 feet high, 14 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. The good news is that the cost has decreased from our original application by $3,140 ($36,400 to $33,260). The artist is experienced in public art installations and employs engineering, materials, and flnishes that stand up to public/outdoor exposure. While all outdoor works require upkeep over time, the proposed sculpture requires nothing beyond the city’s established public art maintenance program. DETAILED BUDGET The artist has supplied the following breakdown of costs: Artist design and development, project management, insurance, studio overhead $12,000 Engineering, CNC setup and cutting 1,300 Materials 3,000 Fabrication 8,160 Shipping preparation and transportation 1,800 Foundation 4,500 Travel, food, and lodging for artist and two assistants for installation 2,000 Installation time, onsite labor, crane, etc. 500 Total $33,260 BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS/COMMUNITY AND VISITORS/TOURISM OVER A LONG PERIOD There is a plethora of studies/evidence and articles/TED talks on the signiflcance and positive impact of public art. There are even studies that show how the presence of art slows traffic fiow, which is relevant here because drivers often travel at high speeds on Gene Autry Trail. Here are just two generalized statements from online resources: [Public arts’] main goal is to add life to cities and make them more user friendly to their people by adding aesthetics and interactivity. Public art converts otherwise simple spaces into a culture hierarchy. — [procreativearts.com] Through the lens of public art, we see how it contributes to shaping community identity, serving as a visual narrative that captures the spirit and essence of its locale. It can become a symbol of a community’s values and history, resonating deeply with locals and visitors alike. — freshmindmag.com MEASURE J ALIGNMENT The city’s identifled goals of Measure J funding speciflcally include “upgrades to park facilities.”