Park gate gets parked

When is a gate more than a gate? And the answer is: when it’s funded by the Arts Commission as sculpture.

The council voted 4-1 Tuesday to accept the Arts Commission recommendation of artist John Seeman’s design for the main gate to Bluebird Park, subject to an evaluation of its safety, requested by Councilwoman Toni Iseman.

“Art is the Arts Commission business, but first responsibility of the City Council is public safety,” Iseman said. “Public safety trumps everything else.”

The Arts Commission competition for a gate design came at her request. She had unsuccessfully lobbied for the city to replace the chain link fence around Bluebird Park with wrought iron and wanted a complementary gate, if the money ever became available for the fence.

“We didn’t have money for the project, so we looked around for it and we asked the Arts Commission for help,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson said. “When you do that, they are going to get creative. We have to look at [the gate] as an art object.”

Replacing the chain link fence would cost an estimated $75,000, City Manager Ken Frank said. The funding would probably have to come out of the Capital Improvement Fund.

However, after seeing the rendering of Seeman’s design, Iseman became concerned that children would be lured to climb the vividly colored gate and try to rip off the applied kinetic features — a kite, birds, and rotating spheres.

“We looked at safety,” Commissioner Pat Kollenda said. “The arts commission thinks this is phenomenal and appropriate.”

The Arts Commission is an advisory board to the council.

“We asked the commission to submit a gate and that is what they have done,” said Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Kinsman, who voted against the gate because she didn’t think it would be approved as a park feature by a safety expert.

Ten entries were submitted for the gate design.

“We are very pleased to bring this project to you,” commission Chairwoman Nancy Beverage said. “When you look at this project, look at it through the eyes of a child. I think it will add to the children’s experience.”

Seeman said he doubted kids would hurt themselves on the gate.

“Everything is solid,” Seeman said. “There is nothing to be impaled on or hung up on.”

Seeman’s proposal measures 20 feet long by 14 feet, 10 inches high. It will be constructed of stainless steel and galvanized steel with enamel paints. The five panels with flaring wings at either end are reminiscent of lattice.

“I set out to create a colorful and imaginative entrance,” Seeman said.

Except for seven days a year, when concerts are presented, Bluebird Park is the quintessential children’s park.

“I can’t see the opposition to the colors or the safety,” said Seeman, who went to the park in his own childhood. “It is for kids. Let’s have some fun.”

The colors in the rendering were not the colors that would be used on the gate, Seeman said.

“This gate does not say park to me,” said neighbor Vicki Borthwick, wife of landscape architect Bob Borthwick. “It says theme park. Our neighborhood is calm, quiet and peaceful. This gate is not calm, quiet and peaceful.”

Bluebird Park landscape architect Ann Christoph tacked on the wall behind the council dais a drawing of the gate she had designed several years ago for the park, which was approved, but eliminated from the project due to cost.

“The gate doesn’t have to be my design, but I feel the new gate should be transparent and welcome people to the park,” Christoph said.

This is the second Seeman competition-winner recommended by the commission for the council’s approval that has been met with some criticism.

He was the winner of the public art competition for the front of the Community/Senior Center, including a whale sculpture which the council accepted, but is looking into a different site for the installation.

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or [email protected].