Tempe City Council held the first public hearing for a potential fund transfer that would support wall improvements necessary for a public art installation at the Mill Avenue underpass.
City council held the first public hearing to approve the $51,299 fund transfer at its March 6 regular meeting. These funds will be transferred from Tempe’s Community Services Department to the Public Works Engineering Department.
No public comment was heard during the meeting, and council has no comments or discussion regarding the project.
A city staff report by Rebecca Blume Rothman, community services manager for public art, stated that the transfer is necessary to “add electrical conduit to the wall repair for future art upgrades at the Mill Avenue underpass.”
Council requested the artwork in 2023 according to the report, and from there, city staff found and commissioned Joe O’Connell Creative Machine to complete the design for the new public art.
The chosen concept, titled Sun Garden, will add 15 sculptures along the west side of the road and lighting elements that will shine colored lights on the walls and underpass at night. Staff reported that significant repairs are necessary along the planter wall to allow for the sculptures.
Sculptural elements in the work are expected to be installed in the summer, and the lighting elements will follow after the addition of two transformers by Arizona Public Service to supply power.
The final public hearing and council vote is scheduled for Tempe City Council’s March 27 regular meeting in the city council chambers at Tempe City Hall, 31 E. Fifth St.
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Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
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