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CONTRACT K-2021-76: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND THE NORMAN ARTS COUNCIL FOR THE 2021 ARTFUL INLETS PROGRAM.
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BACKGROUND: The City of Norman (City) was designated by rule under 40 CFR §122.32(a)(1) as a Phase II Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) City subject to the 1999 Phase II Stormwater Final Rule promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On September 9, 1997, EPA delegated responsibility for stormwater discharges associated with construction sites, industrial sites, and Phase I and Phase II MS4s to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Under this delegation authority, DEQ issued General Permit OKR04 for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems in Small Cities, Urbanized Areas, and Other County Areas in the State of Oklahoma on February 8, 2005. On March 17, 2017, Authorization No. OKR040015 was reauthorized by DEQ and required that the Stormwater Management Program and all associated activities must be fully implemented by the end of the 5-year permit term.
The Stormwater Management Program outlines the activities that the City will implement during the permit cycle to reduce pollution in stormwater runoff. One of the ways that the City does this is through public education. The Stormwater Division conducts public education in a number of different ways, including distributing utility bill inserts with a stormwater message to residents, conducting workshops, and participating in community events and festivals such as 2nd Friday Art Walk and Downtown Fall Festival.
Stormwater education can also be done with posters, videos, and public art. One way that cities across the country have combined public art and stormwater education is through storm inlet art programs. These programs bring together stormwater experts and the arts community to draw attention to often hidden stormwater infrastructure, such as storm drains and inlets, to raise awareness of stormwater pollution and the actions the general public can take to reduce the amount of pollution that is discharged to local creeks and streams by using the infrastructure as the canvas for artwork. Several cities in Arkansas and Oklahoma including Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville, AR, and Muskogee, OK, have implemented inlet art programs with great success.
At the request of Councilmember Bierman and with support from Mayor Miller, the Public Works Department, Stormwater Division, began to research and develop an inlet art program in consultation with the Norman Arts Council (NAC) in the fall of 2019. The first set of five (5) Artful Inlets were installed in April 2019 as part of Earth Month and 2nd Friday Art Walk. The inaugural year was such a great success and received so many positive responses from the community that the City and NAC agreed to partner again in 2020. Despite the pandemic, 5 additional Artful Inlets were installed in October 2020 and were showcased during the October Virtual 2nd Friday Art Walk.
Given the success of the 2019 and 2020 Artful Inlets, the City and the NAC desire to partner again in 2021 to facilitate the selection, location, and installation of public art on five (5) additional storm inlets in Norman as part of the 2021 Artful Inlets Program. The NAC will provide $2000 in Public Arts Board funding for the project in order to pay a stipend to the selected artists. The City will provide $2000 in funding for materials needed for the selected artwork as well as in-kind services to ensure the inlets are properly prepared and protected for art installation.
DISCUSSION:
In order to continue the Artful Inlets Program and select artists to install storm inlet art, the City and the NAC wish to enter into Services Agreement, Contract K-2021-76. The NAC, Public Arts Board, and City will invite artists to submit designs that will transform city storm drains into works of public art. These artful inlets will educate and raise awareness that pollutants that go down storm drains can have a devastating impact on our local water quality.
Five (5) storm drains/inlets have been identified for this project. They will all be on North Jones Ave between Main Street and Acres Street along Legacy Trail. The artwork will have a stormwater and/or water quality theme and must be adaptable to any of the five specified drains. Each selected artist will incorporate their original design into the prescribed area around the storm drain.
This Council action is to consider Contract K-2021-76 between the City and the NAC for implementation of the 2021 Artful Inlets Program.
Fiscal Year 2021 funds of $20,963.05 are available in General Supplies - Public Information (account 10550225-43015).
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of Services Agreement, Contract K-2021-76, with the Norman Arts Council for implementation of the 2021 Artful Inlets Program.