Inspired by the sky-reaching Saguaro Cactus, artist Gordon Heuther said the project’s design reflects the themes of “resilience and endurance” of the Coachella Valley. (Illustration: City of Palm Desert)
The Palm Desert City Council on Thursday advanced a major public art project while also finalizing a series of governance changes that drew criticism from members of city committees and commissions.
Councilmembers meeting in regular session selected Gordon Heuther’s “Cactus Blossom” sculpture design as the preferred artwork for the roundabout on San Pablo Avenue at the east entrance to College of the Desert. The proposal features a rugged steel-spined base beneath a polished reflective steel sphere.
City staff recommended the design, citing strong community support along with its low maintenance needs and long-term durability.
“I get that it's, you know, it's a shiny object, but I think for all the obvious reasons, the stainless steel sphere makes sense,” said Councilmember Jan Harnick.
The city received 214 artist submissions for the project before narrowing the field to two finalists — Heuther’s “Cactus Blossom” and a circular geometric design by Dewitt Godfrey. Though the two proposals received nearly identical scores from city staff in February, subsequent community outreach showed a strong preference for Heuther’s sculpture, which received support from nearly 75% of respondents.
Heuther will receive $200,000 to create the sculpture, representing about a quarter of the city’s annual Art In Public Places program funding. The program is funded through development fees of .25% on new residential projects and .5% on commercial developments.
City staff will return to the council at a future meeting with a formal recommendation related to the project.
The council also finalized several previously approved changes to city committees and commissions, including the dissolution of the Environmental Resources Committee and the Homelessness Task Force, along with reductions to the responsibilities and meeting schedule of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
“I just don't think that's good governance by enacting big changes without giving the committee, who represent the public, a chance to discuss it first. Where is the teamwork?”
The council voted 4-1 to affirm the committee dismissals, with Councilmember Karina Moreno casting the lone dissenting vote. The changes to the Parks and Recreation Commission were approved unanimously.
The decisions continued to draw opposition from some committee members and commissioners.
At a previous council meeting, Moreno criticized what she described as a “top-down” approach by Mayor Evan Trubee and Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto in determining the future of the committees.
During Thursday’s public comment period, Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Ralph Perry said commissioners were blindsided by the changes and should have been consulted before the council acted.
“I just don't think that's good governance by enacting big changes without giving the committee, who represent the public, a chance to discuss it first,” Perry said. “Where is the teamwork?”
At its May 5 meeting, the commission voted 6-1 to recommend reversing the ordinance that reduced its regular meeting schedule. While city leaders described the revised schedule as a “floor, not a ceiling,” commissioners argued that the ability to call special meetings does not replace regularly scheduled public meetings.
Under the new schedule, the Parks and Recreation Commission’s next regular meeting is set for Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 8:30 a.m.