HomeMy WebLinkAboutReports - 2024.02.29 - 41024
AGENDA ITEM: Sponsorship of the Farmington Bicentennial Timeline Public Art Installation
DEPARTMENT: Board of Commissioners
MEETING: Board of Commissioners
DATE: Thursday, February 29, 2024 6:00 PM - Click to View Agenda
ITEM SUMMARY SHEET
COMMITTEE REPORT TO BOARD
Resolution #2024-3778
Motion to approve the one-time allotment of $10,000 from the Fiscal Year 2024 Board of
Commissioners General Fund Special Projects line-item budget for the purpose of sponsoring the
Farmington Bicentennial Timeline Public Art Installation; further, approve and authorize the Board
Chair to execute any required agreements on behalf of Oakland County.
ITEM CATEGORY SPONSORED BY
Special Project William Miller III
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Summary of Proposed Project.
Farmington Bicentennial Timeline Public Art Installation
Submitted by: Farmington Bicentennial Task Force
Funding Requested: $10,000/TBD based on electrical estimate
On March 8, 1824, the first people to call Farmington “Farmington” arrived in the area by horse and
sled. They arrived near sundown, felled the first tree, probably slept overnight in their sleigh, and got
to work the next day clearing the land and building a log cabin. That was 200 years ago next year.
Like Arthur Power and the first Farmingtonians, our community is hard at work to mark the occasion.
We are requesting funding for an immersive timeline of Farmington history that will revitalize a
pedestrian corridor in the heart of downtown Farmington, providing a safe walking path and a visual
snapshot of 200 years to everyone who shops, walks, and visits Farmington.
PLANNING THE BICENTENNIAL
For a small city of 11,000 people, Farmington has a number of history groups: the Farmington
Historical Commission, the Farmington Historical Society, the Friends of the Governor Warner
Mansion nonprofit, Pastways, the volunteers at the Farmington Community Library Heritage &
History Room, and our latest group, the Farmington Bicentennial Steering Committee. We’re all
working together to celebrate the bicentennial. Our goal is that everyone who lives, works, and
spends their time in our city knows that it’s a special year – and everyone who wants to learn more
about its history has the opportunity to do so in a way that’s easy to access and enjoy. The 200th
anniversary is being led by the Bicentennial Steering Committee, formed by City Council to organize
our year of celebration. Over the summer, the group solicited input from Farmington residents, key
City stakeholders (DDA, Farmers Market, Founders Festival), and our history organizations to
brainstorm ideas for how to mark our community milestone. The committee recommended a year’s
worth of celebration: weaving bicentennial and historical elements into the City’s regularly scheduled
event programming, and using the City’s existing print/web/social media channels to share
Farmington’s story. Planned activities range from a social media splash planned around March 8, to
a lamppost banner series with historical dates and photos, to setting a Guinness Book of World
Records during Ladies Night Out for most cupcakes frosted at once in a location (obviously, we’re
targeting 200). As our signature event, we’re planning a special gala and art auction to be held on
the grounds of the historic 1867 Governor Warner Mansion next summer, with proceeds going to
Warner Mansion renovations and history-related scholarships. City Council supported the
committee’s recommendations and allocated $49,000, which will cover a limited run of merch, video
production, digitization of Farmington antiquities, and hard costs for promotional /educational
materials. However, the funding doesn’t cover everything we want to do. Several projects were
listed in the committee’s recommendations to be funded through sponsorships and fundraising,
including a then-and-now AR (augmented reality) app and the immersive timeline art installation of
Farmington history. We’re asking for assistance from Oakland County to bring the timeline to life.
OUR PROJECT
The timeline project is a private-public partnership that combines public art, Farmington history, and
good urban design. In the heart of downtown Farmington is a cut-through corridor that runs between
Fresh Thyme grocery story and the former Fitness 19 building. It looks kind of like a mini version of
The Belt in Detroit ... if it didn’t have the murals, benches, and strings of twinkling lights. But we’re
planning to give it exactly that kind of makeover, with Farmington history as the focal point. The
walkway has been listed as a revitalization target in the DDA Public Art Blueprint for years. So we’re
using the bicentennial year as the impetus to get the project underway. We have secured
permission from the property owner, Glen Una, and the DDA is eager to support our effort through
the addition of overhead lighting. Right now, the walkway is underutilized and unwelcoming. On the
other side is a free public parking lot, but it’s not an inviting walk to get there – especially after dark.
There’s a lot of cement and not a lot of character.
Our project will completely transform the space, combining history and urban planning for an
immersive experience for pedestrians. As shown in the rendering below, we’re planning to install:-A
timeline of Farmington photos, printed on panels and affixed to the brick-String lights overhead, for
both safety and aesthetics-QR codes that visitors can scan to learn about what’s portrayed on each
panel, as well as link to resources for further reading Below is a very rough rendering of what we’re
envisioning, created by our Bicentennial Task Force chairman on his iPhone:
The final result will be a pedestrian corridor that is beautiful, useful, educational, plus safer for
walking at night. It will also be very “Instagrammable,” generating a buzz about Farmington history
and the bicentennial year on social media.
TIMELINE AND FUNDING
We’re planning to install the timeline this spring – ideally, unveiling it March 8, Farmington’s date of
founding. Design work will take place over the winter, giving ample time to create a thoughtful
collage of standout dates that have marked turning points in Farmington’s development: the
Underground Railroad, the cheese factories, the interurban, the creation of our park system, and
more. We’ll be giving deliberate consideration that our community’s entire population is reflected,
including indigenous, Black, and women’s history. Below is a loose mockup of how the panels will
be displayed:
We estimate the project to cost (TOTAL TBD): $6,200 for design/printing/installation of the timeline
panels, plus $TBD for purchase and installation of the lights. Once the bicentennial year is over, we
anticipate that the DDA and Kickstart Art Gallery will take over maintenance of the corridor and
adorn it with new art each year. The bicentennial panels will be either donated to Farmington Public
Schools or placed in one of our parks.
A community is strongest when it leans into what makes it unique. In Farmington, it’s our history –
and that sense of welcoming that started with the Quakers and persists today, so much so that it’s
the cornerstone for our bicentennial kickoff video: “200 Years of Welcoming.” And that’s what we’re
working to do with this public art timeline project. Welcome people into our community. Guide them
through our past. And get creative in educating both residents and visitors to aspects of Farmington
history that they could be walking past every day unawares. Your support will put us on the path to
making this a reality.
What is the estimated cost of this project?
The overall cost is TBD, and we are asking the BOC for $10,000.
Are there any possible funding partners or matching funds available? If so, please explain.
Yes, donations and city stakeholders.
What is the purpose of this project?
See description above.
Who will benefit from the project and how?
See description above.
Will the project/cost fall within one or multiple budget cycles?
One Budget Cycle.
Will there be a need to organize support from any Oakland County Departments or outside
agencies? If so, please explain.
No.
Does this project fall within the scope of the Board of Commissioners’ authority?
Yes.
Contact information.
dmurphy@farmgov.com
jlarussa@farmgov.com
BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED: No
Committee members can contact Michael Andrews, Policy and Fiscal Analysis Supervisor at
248.425.5572 or andrewsmb@oakgov.com or the department contact persons listed for additional
information.
CONTACT
William Miller III, Commissioner
ITEM REVIEW TRACKING
Aaron Snover, Board of Commissioners Created/Initiated - 2/29/2024
AGENDA DEADLINE: 03/10/2024 7:12 PM
ATTACHMENTS
None
COMMITTEE TRACKING
2024-01-18 Full Board - Refer to Finance
2024-02-21 Finance - Recommend to Board
2024-02-29 Full Board - Adopt
Motioned by: Commissioner Penny Luebs
Seconded by: Commissioner Philip Weipert
Yes: David Woodward, Michael Gingell, Penny Luebs, Karen Joliat, Kristen Nelson, Robert
Hoffman, Philip Weipert, Gwen Markham, Angela Powell, Marcia Gershenson, William Miller III,
Charles Cavell, Brendan Johnson, Ajay Raman, Ann Erickson Gault, Linnie Taylor (16)
No: None (0)
Abstain: None (0)
Absent: Christine Long, Yolanda Smith Charles, Michael Spisz (3)
Passed