Subject
title
The Mayor and Council Approval of the College Gardens Park Mural Design
end
Department
City Manager's Office (CMO)
Recommendation
Staff recommend the Mayor and Council approve the final design of the College Gardens Park mural.
Discussion
Artist Andy Dahl was awarded the contract to design and paint the College Gardens Park Mural. At the Council Meeting on July 29, 2024, the Mayor and Council were presented with the mural design for approval. The proposed mural design was not approved and the Mayor and Council requested additional community engagement before finalizing the design.
On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, a community engagement session was held so that Andy Dahl could meet with residents of College Gardens Park. The Arts and Culture Program Manager worked with the Communications Department to notify the community through Rockville Reports and distributed flyers and posters at the Senior Center. The Arts and Culture Program Manager also directly emailed members of the Artist Selection Committee for this project, the College Gardens Park Community Association, as well as the Plymouth Woods and Yale Village communities that are adjacent to the park. Attendance at this session included the artist, seven College Gardens Park residents, one Cultural Arts Commissioner, and the Arts and Culture Program Manager.
During the community engagement session, residents unanimously voiced approval and support of Dahl’s original design. No requests to modify the design were made. Residents requested all five exterior walls of the building be painted. Dahl asked a series of three questions and took responses to inform the design presented in this staff report. Questions were:
• “What should be included in the mural that wasn’t included?”
• “How do you want to feel when you are in the park?”
• “What should the mural communicate?”
Photographs of their responses that Dahl used to create the final design are attached.
The new, expanded version of the "Flight of Fancy" mural has grown to include two additional walls not previously identified as a part of this project in the original RFQ. Given that the original design was selected without modifications, Dahl sought to expand on this design without making any drastic changes. While some elements were moved, they were not omitted, and in particular, the reorientation of the leaves to where their centers are lined up on the edges of the walls creates a pattern and visual play encouraging viewers to circle the mural.
While some new, potential themes were identified in the last community meeting on February 19th, everyone in the group ended the meeting stating in one form or another they liked the original design as is. For that reason, Dahl sought to honor their consensus by further developing this original concept without making heavy modifications.
Mayor and Council History
Artist Andy Dahl was awarded the contract to design and paint the College Gardens Park Mural. At the Council Meeting on July 29, 2024, the Mayor and Council were presented with the mural design for their approval. The Mayor and Council did not approve the design based upon the approach to community engagement for the project and requested additional community engagement.
The July 2024 Staff Report may be found online in the Agenda Center using the following link: July 29, 2024 Agenda <https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07292024-7242>
Public Notification and Engagement
The Arts and Culture Program Manager worked with the Communications Department to notify the community through Rockville Reports and distributed flyers and posters at the Senior Center. The Arts and Culture Program Manager also directly emailed members of the Artist Selection Committee for this project, the College Gardens Park Community Association, as well as the Plymouth Woods and Yale Village communities that are adjacent to the park. Attendance at this session included the artist, seven College Gardens Park residents, one Cultural Arts Commissioner, and the Arts and Culture Program Manager.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Cultural Arts Commission previously approved this mural design as part of the proposal review process. The Cultural Arts Commission has received regular updates on the project’s progress. Because the community engagement and additional design was requested by the Mayor and Council and final approval rests with the Mayor and Council, Commission review of the design is not needed.
Fiscal Impact
The original budget for the mural was $12,500. Expanding the scope of work and responding to residents’ request to increase the size of the mural required an increase in the project budget of $4,750, for a final total of $17,250 for the mural. The additional fees compensate Andy Dahl for power washing, priming, and painting all five walls of the building.
Next Steps
The Mayor and Council approve the mural design, and afterwards, work may proceed with installation of the mural taking place before the end of Fiscal Year 2025.
Attachments
• Final Design of the College Gardens Park Mural