Indio working to finish veterans memorial by November, plus updates on several other public art projects

The Indio Public Arts Commission received a broad round of staff updates Tuesday, including a second act of vandalism against a public sculpture, a financial snapshot showing nearly $900,000 in the city’s public arts fund, and a goal to unveil a new memorial by Veterans Day.

Miguel Ramirez-Cornejo, director of economic development, told commissioners the “Desert Tortoise” by artist Peter Hazel at North Jackson Park has been vandalized for a second time, this time repairs that will cost about $9,000. Ramirez-Cornejo estimated that crews will work on the repair in August.

The renovation of the Indio Arts Center, a 14,000-square-foot building at 45140 Towne Street, is being delivered in partnership with Tilden-Coil Constructors on a $2.4 million budget. Ramirez-Cornejo said the renovated building will keep a similar layout but add safer ingress and egress and greater occupancy capacity, allowing it to host events and gallery openings.

It remains uncertain whether the current budget will cover ventilation equipment needed for a planned welding shop as the space currently lacks proper ventilation and an approved gas line installation for welding work.

On the planned veterans memorial in Miles Avenue Park, staff said permits have been issued and work is underway.

“The goal is to get this up and ready to unveil by Veterans Day of this year,” Ramirez-Cornejo said. “We’re putting that strict deadline on ourselves right now.”

The beam artifact from the World Trade Center for 9/11 Memorial Sculpture has been installed at Miles Avenue Park, staff is working with the artist to install lighting and complete the landscaping surrounding the piece.

Two contracts have been executed for the murals planned for restrooms at Dr. Carreon Park, one more contract still needs to be signed, but work on the murals themselves won’t be completed until the weather is cooler.

At Shields Park, work on the piece by Christopher Fennel is tentatively scheduled to begin by the last week of July.

The Bravo project sculpture on Madison Street and Avenue 50 is also in place, with installation of solar-powered lighting still pending due to a lack of existing electrical infrastructure at the site.

Staff gave a financial breakdown of the public arts fund, citing about $182,700 in carryover costs tied to the 9/11 memorial, the Shields Park and Bravo projects, and several mural projects. Combined with about $660,000 rolled over from the prior fiscal year plus anticipated in-lieu fees and bank interest, total cash on hand is close to $900,000, staff said, with roughly $717,000 in total cash available.

Staff also previewed a forthcoming self-guided public art tour that will link to QR codes already installed at murals and sculptures, featuring guided tours and a chatbot function to help users locate specific pieces.

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