# A Bellingham Arts Commission Weighs Fish, Streams, and Community Art The City of Bellingham Arts Commission convened on November 5, 2024, at 5:00 PM in the Mayor's Boardroom for a meeting that would blend environmental restoration with artistic vision. With all five commissioners present—Chair Amy Chaloupka, Phillip Freytag, Patricia McDonnell, Eric Shew, and Jody Bento—the evening centered on a proposal that would consolidate public art funding from three separate fish passage projects into a potentially transformative $120,000 community art initiative. ## Meeting Overview What began as a routine discussion about policy procedures quickly evolved into a deeper conversation about place, community engagement, and the role of art in connecting residents to their natural environment. The commission faced a decision about whether to bundle funding from three infrastructure projects along Padden Creek—totaling $12 million in fish barrier removal work—to create a single, substantial public art opportunity. The meeting drew engagement from the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association, whose representatives had been tracking the agenda and reached out proactively to participate. Their involvement highlighted the intersection of environmental stewardship, community organizing, and public art that would define much of the evening's discussion. ## The Padden Creek Fish Passage Art Consolidation Tim Hohmann, representing Public Works, presented the commission with an unusual opportunity. Three separate fish passage improvement projects along Padden Creek—two along the Interurban Trail near 12th and 14th Streets, and one at 30th Street—would trigger the city's 1% for Arts ordinance. Rather than creating three small art installations in less-than-ideal locations, staff proposed pooling the funding for maximum impact. "These projects are the two across the trail are going to be roughly $5 million each total project costs. And then the 30th Street Bridge is going to be roughly $7 million," Hohmann explained. "And so all put together, there'll be about $12 million. And so the 1% for the arts would total in the range of 120,000." The individual project sites presented significant challenges for art placement. The trail crossings, while heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists, offered limited space and raised concerns about vandalism in relatively isolated locations. The 30th Street bridge, despite its $7 million price tag, would sit in residential front yards with no connecting sidewalks—hardly an ideal spot for public engagement with art. "There's not a whole lot of great location, wide spot for art. We'd rather not widen the trail in the area of the buffer for the stream," Hohmann noted about the trail sites. For the 30th Street location, he added: "Once again, not a great place to be luring people to come view art." Commissioner Phillip Freytag immediately saw the wisdom in consolidation: "I'm always in favor of combining the money because you get better art." His sentiment reflected a key principle underlying the percent-for-arts program—that concentrated funding typically produces more significant and lasting public art than smaller, dispersed projects. The commission also grappled with recent legal interpretations that had narrowed the definition of "adjacent to the project" for art placement. Staff acknowledged they would need to navigate this constraint carefully while identifying suitable locations along the Padden Creek corridor. "Our legal department has a narrow interpretation of in the vicinity of the capital project," explained a staff member. "She literally wanted to make sure it was what we were talking about was in the vicinity like she could see it." Despite this challenge, commissioners expressed confidence that locations connected to the creek itself would satisfy legal requirements while serving the community better than the original project sites. ## Community Voice and Creek Stewardship The evening's most compelling testimony came from Wendy Scherrer of the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association, whose remarks revealed decades of community investment in Padden Creek. Speaking via Zoom, Scherrer painted a picture of neighborhood groups working "from the lake to the bay to connect the watershed," with multiple schools releasing baby salmon into the creek as part of ongoing environmental education. "I'm Wendy Scherrer, and I'm in the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association. I also have worked for 30 years on this creek with a Padden Creek Alliance," she began. "And we've put letters of support for all these fish passage barrier projects for many years. And actually, the what they're fixing is what we put in 30 to 40 years ago." Her comments highlighted an ironic twist—the current fish barriers requiring expensive removal were infrastructure installed by the same community groups now advocating for their replacement. This generational perspective on environmental stewardship added depth to the art discussion. Scherrer advocated for a deliberate, community-inclusive process: "I just wanted to ask the Arts Commission and Public Works and Planning if you can work with our neighborhood associations to focus on a process that includes of all the stakeholders that are using this creek to make the art really iconically connected to the story of this creek." She referenced her own previous work on the Salmon Art Trail at Maritime Heritage Park, suggesting that the new project could create educational opportunities that help residents and visitors understand the creek's ecological significance. "I got all those sculptures in a kind of a way that people could walk from out of town or in town to learn about the creek and the salmon." The commission welcomed this community engagement, with staff confirming they were "plenty early in the process" and would definitely reach out to neighborhood associations for input. ## Exploring Potential Locations While no final decisions were made about placement, the discussion revealed several promising possibilities for consolidating the art funding. Fairhaven Park emerged as a strong candidate, offering high visibility and community access while maintaining connection to the creek system. The park's design by the Olmsted Brothers—the same firm that designed Central Park—adds historical significance to the potential site. Commissioner Patricia McDonnell noted: "Fairhaven Park on a map looks quite nearby but then the creek runs through it. I mean, it seems to me like if you're talking about locations that are where the creek is impacted along that creek, seems like a really ideal location to consolidate this." The Rotary Park trailhead also garnered support as a location where "people park their cars" and would naturally encounter public art. Commissioner Chaloupka observed: "I think that would be an awesome place, and I'm always in favor of combining the money because you get better art." Scherrer mentioned Happy Valley Park as another possibility, describing it as "a little like a little pocket park" where "two schools go to study the creek and put their fish in there." This highlighted the potential for art to enhance existing educational programs and community traditions. ## Indigenous Art and Maintenance Questions Toward the meeting's end, Scherrer raised important questions about the commission's policy regarding wood art, particularly work by Indigenous carvers. She noted that past park directors had restricted wood installations due to maintenance concerns, effectively excluding Native artists from public art opportunities. "Pretty much it X's out all of our native carvers and poles," she explained, referencing the maintenance policy's impact. However, she pointed to successful examples of Indigenous art maintenance: "The pole that we put up at Maritime Heritage Park has been maintained by the donor, Mike McCrory, and it's beautiful salmon pole salmon woman. And Felix Solomon has maintained the one in front of the courthouse." Drawing on examples from Duncan, British Columbia, where "76 totem poles that are maintained by the families who carve them," Scherrer suggested alternative maintenance models that could accommodate Indigenous artistic traditions. With Western Washington University's new longhouse hiring Felix Solomon to carve doors, she saw an opportunity to expand Indigenous representation in city public art. "I don't know what your policy of wood art is, but if we're going to put this out to the tribes, and they want to, you know, put together a proposal to put a pole or a bench or something like that. I didn't know what your policy is going forth in terms of wood art and maintenance." The commission noted her comments without taking formal action, indicating this would be part of the broader discussion as the project develops. ## The Commission's Decision After extensive discussion, the commission moved decisively to approve the consolidation concept. Chaloupka made the motion: "For now, we need to make a motion related to whether we want to consolidate the funds, and I would make a motion to yes, consolidate the funds." The motion passed unanimously, with commissioners expressing clear preference for "something more public than where the culverts are." They emphasized that while the funding would be consolidated, the final approach might involve one artist working across multiple locations rather than necessarily creating a single installation. As Freytag clarified: "I think we just voted that, you know, yes, pool it. Therefore it would be one project. It might later turn out that one project more than one location, but you keep it with one artist or one artist team." This approach would preserve artistic coherence while allowing flexibility in addressing the legal requirements and community needs that will shape the final proposal. ## Administrative Update and Community Access The commission also handled routine business, approving a policy change that formalized their recent shift from 6:00 PM to 5:00 PM meeting times. The change, suggested by the mayor's office, generated brief discussion about whether such specific requirements were necessary, but commissioners ultimately approved the revision without controversy. The time change reflects practical considerations for both commission members and the public, though some questioned whether policies needed to specify exact times rather than allowing for more general descriptions like "late afternoon or evening." ## Public Art Collection Management In closing remarks, commissioners discussed ongoing challenges with the city's public art collection, particularly the George Rickey kinetic sculpture that had been repaired and returned from conservation but remained in storage due to installation costs and site requirements. Chair Chaloupka explained: "It's on a huge flatbed like it's coming back into our storage, which we don't have really room for it. We really do need to work with Parks to identify a location for this piece because it needs to get reinstalled somewhere." The piece, historically significant as "probably the most art historical significantly piece in the collection," had been damaged by wind at its previous location behind Old City Hall. Commissioners discussed potential sites including the library area and Lee Memorial Park, while also exploring grant opportunities through ArtsWA to fund proper reinstallation. This collection management discussion highlighted the ongoing challenge of maintaining and properly siting public art—a consideration that would certainly inform the Padden Creek project's development. ## Looking Ahead The evening concluded with staff and commissioners expressing satisfaction with the community engagement already evident around the Padden Creek project. Tim Hohmann noted that the Happy Valley Neighborhood Association had been "following along and using this agenda of this exact committee, you know, as a touch point for staff," demonstrating the kind of proactive civic engagement that strengthens public art projects. The commission authorized staff to proceed with location evaluation and community outreach, with the understanding that any specific proposal would return for formal approval. The process will include neighborhood associations, potentially the Parks and Recreation Board if park sites are selected, and other relevant stakeholders. As the meeting adjourned, the consolidation decision positioned the city to create a substantial piece of public art that could serve multiple communities along Padden Creek while honoring the environmental restoration work that triggered the funding. The project promises to demonstrate how infrastructure investment can catalyze broader community benefits when thoughtfully approached through the lens of public art. The $120,000 budget represents one of the largest single public art opportunities the commission has considered recently, offering potential for significant community impact if the collaborative planning process lives up to its early promise. With active neighborhood engagement, environmental education connections, and careful attention to Indigenous representation, the Padden Creek project could become a model for integrating public art with ecological restoration and community development.