The Town of Qualicum Beach plans to place an art piece at the centre of the roundabout located on Highway 19A and Memorial Avenue at the waterfront.
Qualicum First Nation artist Jesse Recalma presented the town with a proposal to produce an art work that will be installed some time this year.
Superintendent of public works Oliver Watson informed council during its regular meeting on June 26 that they have discussed the project with Recalma. The plan is to create and install an art piece that will be cylindrical in shape, 12 feet tall and four feet wide. Staff indicated it will not be a large centrepiece and will not be a safety concern.
Recalma has offered a fee of $8,000 to design an art piece similar to the the work created by Squamish First Nation Harry James for Park Royal in North Vancouver.
"One of the features we like about this in particular is that there's something to see from all sides coming into a roundabout from any direction, it will have something to look at," said Watson. "Furthermore, we'll light it up as well. We have plans on lighting it when we constructed the roundabout. We included conduit from a nearby electrical kiosk to the centre of the roundabout for this purpose."
Recalma informed staff he is drawing inspiration from the Salish Bear Totem Pole formerly located at the foot of Memorial Drive that was created by Coast Salish master carver and elder Simon Charlie as inspiration for the design.
Staff have confirmed through Koers and Associates that after reviewing the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) guidelines for roundabouts, the installation of the art piece will not compromise sight distance.
On top of the artist fee, the town will spend $30,000 for fabrication, production, and placement of the piece and another $20,100 for engineering, electrical and concrete base installation. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $65,100, which Watson indicated exceeds the town's budget for the project by $16,100. To cover the shortfall, staff suggested redirecting the extra funds from the Highway 19A Ditch Infill/Bike Lane/Parking – Phase 1 project.
Council gave the project the green light as well as endorsing the staff suggestion to reallocate funds to the roundabout art initiative.
Once Recalma's art piece is installed, staff pointed out it will not only provide residents and visitors the ability to admire a beautiful and accessible art piece, it will also reflect a strong affirmation of the Town of Qualicum Beach’s commitment to honouring the indigenous heritage of the area.
