More utility boxes — such as those pictured here — will be beatified under a plan approved by a city committee Wednesday morning.
The Palm Desert Cultural Arts Committee on Wednesday approved a comprehensive plan to refresh and expand the city's utility cabinet art beautification program, which includes replacing aging artwork and adding five new installations in North Palm Desert.
The four-phase plan addresses the deterioration of existing vinyl-wrapped and hand-painted utility cabinets throughout the city, many of which have exceeded their expected lifespan of five to seven years due to desert climate conditions.
"Given the desert climate, many of these artworks have reached or exceeded their expected lifespan, as most of them were temporary installations and weren't due to be there for as long as they have been," a city staff member told the committee.
The city currently maintains 13 active utility cabinet art installations, including nine vinyl-wrapped cabinets and water fountains and four hand-painted cabinets. The refresh plan will prioritize high-visibility locations at San Pablo Avenue and El Paseo, as well as El Paseo and Highway 74.
The expansion will add five new utility cabinet art sites in North Palm Desert at Cook Street and Frank Sinatra Drive, Dinah Shore Drive and Portola Avenue, Country Club Drive and Oasis Club Drive, Country Club Drive and Monterey Avenue, and Monterey Avenue and Fred Waring Drive.
Artists will be invited to submit proposals through a call for artists process, with stipends of up to $2,000 per cabinet. Artists may be selected for multiple cabinets depending on budget and committee approval.
The plan includes four phases: inventory review and site prioritization, artist selection, fabrication and installation coordinated with the Public Works Department, and ongoing maintenance including biannual cleaning and condition assessments every two years.
The total cost will not exceed $60,000, which is already appropriated in the city's fiscal year 2025-2026 public art budget. The funding covers artist stipends of up to $2,000 per cabinet and up to $2,000 per cabinet for vinyl wrap production, installation and plaque fabrication.
Two previously painted utility cabinets have already been removed by Public Works due to damage. The utility cabinet at Fred Waring Drive and Phyllis Jackson Road will be deferred for potential inclusion in a future student art and essay contest.