Members of Art in Public Places during last night's Borough Council work session proposed that a piece of sculture be placed on the sidewalk in front of the University Book Centre, 206 E.College Ave.
Art in Public Places, a branch of the Festival of Arts committee, uses private money to place sculpture in a public enviroment, committee member Dan Jones said. The proposed sculpture, an abstract which has yet to be designed, would be the third piece donated by the group. The other two sculptures are located by the parking garages on the 100 blocks of Pugh and Fraser streets.
The proposed location for the new work was chosen for two reasons, Jones said. The sidewalk in front of the bookstore is the widest of its type and would allow enough room for pedestrians to pass with the sculpture in place.
"A second reason the area was chosen is because the group's goal is not to make a nice area nicer but rather, The concept of a non-traditional place causes surprise," he said.
There is, however, a risk that people will not appreciate the location, Jones said.
The scale of the work will be about the same size as a newspaper box or post office collection box.
The sculptor, Steve Porter of Bellefonte, said he was attracted by the series. The proposed work is similar to Porter's sculpture now in Pittsburgh. That work is on a street with a high level of pedestrian traffic, he said. It shows some scuff marks, but is well liked.
Of the State College location Porter said, "It is a very intriguing site. As a sculptor I do not see any problems with it."
Concerns including how well the piece would age in the outdoor enviroment were voiced after the group's presentation. Council member John Dombrowski pointed out that some townspeople had worried over the life span of the metal tubes used by bicyclists to lock their bikes downtown.
Porter explained the sculpture would be constructed from aluminum and would require a major blow for it to chip. Unlike steel, the aluminum sculpture would not rust if chipped, he said.
Council members expressed liability concerns in the case of someone injuring themselves while climbing on the work. In addition, members also questioned who would pay for the maintanence and to what extent vandalism would occur.
In other business, the council discussed the different avenues open to them concerning the borough ordinance that states all signs cannot be higher than 25 feet off the ground.
The Patt Organization of Holidaysburg which ownes the Atherton Hotel, now under construction on Atherton Street between College and Beaver avenues, had applied for an exception to this ordinance.
The sign was approved by the State College Design Review Board on the grounds that the sign met the exceptional design standards, but was turned down by the Zoning Hearing Board based soley on the ordinance. The Patt Organization is appealing the decision to the common pleas court.
Borough Council Solicitor Terry Williams explained what choices the borough council has in this case. The board must enter an appearance to the court in order to exercise its appeal rights to the court's decision, he said. The board could also could go against the Zoning Hearing Board if they thought the initial decison had been incorrect.
"I cannot see any reason for doing that," council member Peter Marshall said.
A second choice would be to amend the present ordinance to allow signs to be above the current level if they meet the exceptional design standards, Williams said. This would allow the Patt Organization to reapply if the Zoning Hearing Board's decision was upheld by the common pleas court.
Council member R.Thomas Berner said he was intrigued by the idea of strengthening the decisive power of the Design Review Board. Through their education and training, those board members should be well situated to make rulings, he said.
