Agenda Item Wording:
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Consideration of a mural application request from Visalia Veterans Mural Restoration Foundation, Inc. for one temporary banner proposed on the west face of a block wall that holds the World War II Greatest Generation mural, located at 6320 South Mooney Boulevard.
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Deadline for Action: 3/6/2023
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, (559) 713-4636, brandon.smith@visalia.city <mailto:brandon.smith@visalia.city>; Paul Bernal, Community Development Director, (559)713-4025, paul.bernal@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends, based on the recommendation of the Mural Panel, that this application for the temporary banner related to the World War II Greatest Generation mural, located at 6320 South Mooney Boulevard, be approved with the image proposed by the applicant (see Attachment 2).
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia received a mural application (see Attachment 1) on February 21, 2023, from the Visalia Veterans Mural Restoration Foundation, Inc. for a temporary banner to be affixed on the block wall that holds the World War II Greatest Generation mural, located at 6320 South Mooney Boulevard.
The original mural was approved by the City Council in 2005, and was installed in 2006, and consists of thirty-six 4-foot by 8-foot panels (overall dimensions: 72-ft. wide x 20-ft. tall) painted by artist Glen Hill. Sixteen years later, the mural panels have suffered excessive wear, tear, and fading due to the sun and outdoor elements. In addition, the hardware that affixed the panels to the wall has disintegrated, which has caused some of the panels to fall off the wall and be put into storage. The applicant is currently working with the artist, who now lives out of state, to have the panels professionally restored. Further details regarding the mural’s condition and restoration are in Attachment 4. The target date for completing restoration is November 28, 2023.
In the interim period, a banner measuring 70-feet wide x 18-feet tall would be placed on the wall. Most of the banner will contain an exact replica of the original image with a tan or light contrasting color border, and the bottom of the mural will contain 2- to 3-foot-tall lettering that provides the mural status and donation information. The banner will be fabricated by a local sign & screen-printing company, made of a durable and weather resistant vinyl, and will be anchored directly onto the existing block wall.
A reduced-size sketch of the banner was submitted as Attachment 2. The message to be placed on the bottom of the mural would read as follows:
“The World War II Greatest Generation Mural is currently under renovation and will return in Fall of 2023.”
Donations can be sent to the Visalia Veterans Mural Restoration Find Inc. at P.O. Box 1291, Visalia, CA 93279. Please support the mural.
A press release page that profiles the original artist, Glen Hill, was also submitted as Attachment 3.
The George Family Trust is the property owner of the site and has given permission to the applicant to proceed with filing an application on their property. The property owner has given a deadline of November 28, 2023, for the restoration work to be completed. The applicant has recently become a 501(c)(3) organization in order to raise the funding necessary for the restoration of the mural.
Mural Agreement:
Staff is not imposing the mural agreement upon this banner, since the banner is being placed as a substitution over the existing mural location and since the mural does not contain any new or revised artwork, only some additional wording.
Mural Panel Review:
In accordance with the City’s Mural Guidelines and Procedures, the Mural Panel consisting of a representative from the Arts Consortium (Ampelio Mejia Perez), Arts Visalia (Alison Schlick Miniaci), and a mayoral appointment (Walter Deissler) convened to review the application. The purpose of the Panel is to assure compliance with local ordinances and the mural guidelines and to determine whether the artist has the ability to produce a quality piece of art. Due to the short timeline associated with the temporary email, the Mural Panel reviewed the proposed temporary mural via e-mail.
It should be noted however that this banner will contain no new or revised artwork, as the image would be an exact copy of the original mural approved by City Council in 2005. The only new components to the banner would be the border and lettering. The mural process affords the applicant the ability to display an oversized banner (i.e., 1,260 square feet) for a period of up to one year, given that the City’s Sign Ordnance only authorizes a maximum banner size of 32 square feet.
The Panel was not opposed to the displaying of the banner for about one year. There was preference for the banner to remain up for no more than one year, since that should be adequate time for the message to be displayed. One panel member did question whether allowing a banner with an advertisement for donation could be setting up an undesirable precedence.
Fiscal Impact:
No fiscal impact to the City. The applicant is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and removal of the banner as well as the mural.
Prior Council Action:
On May 2, 2005, the City Council approved the site location for the mural. On November 30, 2004, the City Council accepted the content of the mural without approving the site location.
Other: None.
Alternatives: None.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve the mural application for a temporary banner related to the World War II Greatest Generation mural, located at 6320 South Mooney Boulevard, be approved with the image proposed by the applicant (see Attachment 2).
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Environmental Assessment Status:
The mural is considered Categorically Exempt under Section 15311 of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended, due to the project being a placement of minor structure accessory to existing facilities including but not limited to signs
CEQA Review:
The mural is considered Categorically Exempt under Section 15311 of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended, due to the project being a placement of minor structure accessory to existing facilities including but not limited to signs
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Application.
Attachment 2: Rendering.
Attachment 3: Press release.
Attachment 4: Details of the mural’s condition and restoration.
Attachment 5: Elevation of wall.
Attachment 6: Mural Guidelines