HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-2018 - Item 1 - Lopes1
Tonikian, Victoria
From:James Lopes <
Sent:Monday, May 07, 2018 3:15 PM
To:Richard Schmidt; Advisory Bodies
Subject:Re: ARC agenda communication Item 1
ARC:
I agree with Richard Schmidt, in that a consistent dark green color on all those boxes would make them recede and
provide some dignity to the streets. If the City wants to focus on our image as a creative city, it could save up those few
public art fees and buy a couple of bronze figures, similar to the dancing guy at Downtown Centre.
James Lopes
On 5/7/2018 10:36 AM, Richard Schmidt wrote:
RE: Item 1 - - alleged "public art" on utility boxes
Dear Commissioners,
Please reject these designs and put an end to this ridiculous program of placing ugly municipally-
sanctioned graffiti on our inherently ugly utility boxes.
This "program" is a disgrace to our city's quality of life heritage.
As I travel around the USA, I find that every wannabee Podunk town from coast to coast seems to have
jumped onto this paint-the-utility-boxes bandwagon, which is being promoted by partisans of fake pubic
art. Most cities which have distinction seem to eschew this gum-wrapper decor.
Painting our boxes is just another step towards making our unique place Anyplace USA as we follow the
lead of desperate places with absolutely no distinctions to brag about.
Utility boxes are necessary, and ugly. So why call attention to them?
In the 1970s, Mayor Ken Schwartz, who alone had more design sense than our entire current staff
combined, concluded that the best way to tone down urban visual cacophony was to make these boxes
visually go away, along with traffic light standards and sign poles. His unique program to accomplish this
involved painting such devices various "trial" hues till an optimal one was discovered -- what has been
called Schwartz green, a deep olive tone that made this stuff "disappear." This color-control program,
together with well-regulated commercial signage (something else we don't pay much attention to today),
was cited by Dan Buettner in Thrive as a key element making our city the "happiest place."
Today's staff is clueless about this -- just look at the complete lack of consistency in materials, shapes,
configurations, colors, and placements of necessary municipal hardware. We are back to the old
indifference and anything-goes blindness to visual cacophony. What a big shame.
The ARC could have a big impact on improving our municipal happiness and quality of life by once again
concerning itself with such things.
Rejecting further expansion of the signal box graffiti would be an appropriate first step.
Thank you.
Richard Schmidt
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