Bathtub art project environmental review slowly moves forward

More than a year and a half after the Public Art Committee approved the bathtubs-on-stilts “Fine Balance” art project, progress continues to slowly inch forward.

City staff now has a shortlist of potential firms they’re eyeing to conduct an environmental review on the installation by artist Brian Goggin, which is to feature five sculpted bathtubs atop stilts along a section of the Water Street promenade.

The city imposed an environmental impact report October 2019 after threats of litigation from a group of residents opposing the project, who also appealed the Public Art Committee’s initial approval the year prior. The study has been a key request from critics, while supporters including some committee members consider it a purely obstructionist process.

Planning Manager Heather Hines presented a brief update of the environmental review to the committee during its recent Jan. 23 meeting. She said she expects staff to hold interviews with potential firms next month, aiming to present a budget and timeline projection of the study for Public Art Committee review at their next meeting Feb. 27.

Staff has reached out to five firms, hoping to zero in on three top contenders who will then submit application documents to the city for review. Hines said the city chose this focused approach in order to minimize time and target firms with prior art environmental review experience.

“Hopefully this can happen in time for us to give you an update at the next meeting as to who we’ve selected and what the budget and timelines are,” Hines said. “I know that is something this committee wanted to consider before signing the contract.”

Despite their objections, the seven-member committee’s public art fund is to pay for the environmental study, a key source of anger among members. The fund balance as of November 2019 was slightly more than $482,200. Money in the public art fund is paid by developers who do not include their own public art in their development projects.

Hines’ appearance was also a show of transparency after committee members expressed frustration at the last public meeting over a lack of communication with city staff over the study. Many said they were not informed that the piece they commissioned would be subjected to an environmental review, a potentially time-sucking and costly endeavor.

Committee members Margaret Geiss-Mooney, Caroline Hall and Vice Chair Katherine Plank were absent at the most recent Jan. 23 meeting.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)