- December 20, 2024
Loading
Public art is coming to Ormond’s downtown.
On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the City Commission unanimously approved a request from the Ormond Beach Arts District to allow public art cabinet wraps at nine traffic signals and two streetlight cabinets along Granada Boulevard, from North Orchard Street to A1A. The wraps will feature art by nine Ormond Beach “masters” — all whom are working professional artists, have art displayed nationwide and have lived in Ormond Beach for 25 years or longer.
“Ormond has a great depth of artists and culture, but it’s not always visible,” said Julia Truilo, chairperson of the Ormond Beach Arts District. “Many artists make this their home, but we don’t see them.”
The artists — Lee Dunkle, Gregory Grant, Scott Hiestand, Karlene McConnell, Barbara Perrotti, Sang Roberson, Antoinette Slick, Akiko Sugiyama and Margaret Schnebly Hodge — are all committed to their community as well, Truilo added. For example, Roberson was named Citizen of the Year in 2022 by Citizens for Ormond Beach, a local civic organization.
All of the artists work with a variety of mediums, from photography to paper collage and ceramics.
And they all donated their art for the cabinet wraps.
City Commissioner Susan Persis thanked Truilo and Ormond MainStreet Executive Director Becky Parker for bringing the project to the city.
“I think it’s going to make our downtown just really shine with these wraps on these items,” Persis said. “I’m just absolutely thrilled about it and I can’t wait to see it.”
The manufacturing and installation of the cabinet wraps should cost about $15,000, the city estimates. The funds, according to the agenda, will come from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency funds.
The cabinet wraps are expected to last between 3-5 years and the arts district will plan on replacing the wraps within that time period to feature more local artists.
The arts district also intends to create a walking map for the cabinet wraps, to be featured on both its website and Ormond Mainstreet’s.
There will be no garbage or recycling pickup in the city on Monday, Dec. 25, due to it being Christmas Day. There also will not be any pickup on New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1.
Monday’s routes will move to Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Tuesday’s routes will be picked up on Wednesday, Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. Wednesday’s collection routes will move to Saturday, Dec. 30 and Jan. 6.
Live in unincorporated Volusia County?
There will be no garbage, recycling or yard waste collection on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Monday’s routes will be picked up on Tuesday, Tuesday’s routes will be picked up on Wednesday, Wednesday’s routes will be picked up on Thursday, Thursday’s routes will be picked up on Friday, and Friday’s routes will be picked up on Saturday.
City Hall will soon get new plants — and at least 96% will be native or drought-tolerant plants.
The commission approved a $154,699.20 bid to Verdego Landscape, LLC, to install new landscaping at City Hall, which the city reported in its agenda has not had any significant restorations since 2004. The project will be funded using Community Redevelopment Agency dollars as well as funds from the City Tree Replacement account.
The non-native plants account for the annual decorative plantings around the plaza fountain and City Hall sign.