To: Members of the Public Art Commission
From: Maia Yates, Staff Liaison
Title
Public Art Planning Research and Scope Considerations
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
At its August meeting, the Public Art Commission directed staff to research public art planning approaches, consultant costs and examples from comparable communities before developing a request for proposals for Castle Rock’s next public art plan. The Commission expressed interest in outside expertise, community engagement, benchmarking and a planning horizon of up to 10 years, as well as review of the Commission’s mission, vision and governing framework.
Research shows that communities use the terms strategic plan, master plan and public art framework differently. The title is less important than clearly defining the document’s purpose, scope, planning horizon and update cycle. One potential approach is a long-range public art framework paired with a shorter implementation plan that can be regularly reviewed and updated as priorities, funding and opportunities change.
Based on published municipal solicitations and contract awards, staff anticipates that a focused, staff-supported planning process could cost approximately $45,000 to $75,000. A more comprehensive consultant-led public art master plan with extensive engagement, policy development, site opportunity analysis and implementation planning could cost approximately $75,000 to $120,000. These amounts are preliminary planning estimates rather than quotes.
This discussion is intended to build shared understanding and identify the issues staff should research further before preparing a draft scope and budget framework. No solicitation, consultant selection or expenditure is requested at this meeting.
Background
Castle Rock’s public art planning has developed through a consultant-prepared Public Art Master Plan in 2007, a consultant-prepared Public Art Plan in 2017 and the current 2023 Public Art Strategic Plan developed by commissioners and staff. The current plan includes the Commission’s mission, vision and values, six focus areas, prior planning documents and a conservation and maintenance plan.
During its August retrospective, the Commission identified substantial progress since 2023, including increased Town funding for public art, completion of Big Drive and formation of the Castle Rock Arts and Culture Foundation. The Commission also identified programs and projects developed after adoption of the current plan, including Tiny Art Quest, the Holiday Card Art Contest and the proposed Crystal Valley Interchange roundabout sculpture. The next planning process can therefore focus on the continuation of strengthening and guiding a more active public art program.
Following the August discussion, Commissioner Bob Gnaegy prepared an outline identifying topics and activities that could be considered during the next planning process. The outline proposes potential Commission and staff work related to the program’s history, audiences, collection, opportunity locations, funding, staffing, artist selection and readability of the final plan. It also identifies areas that may benefit from consultant assistance, including community engagement, benchmarking, stakeholder interviews, facilitation, funding analysis, action planning and preparation of the final document. This outline is included as a discussion resource and has not been adopted as the scope for the future plan or consultant solicitation. It provides one possible framework for considering how work could be divided amongst the Commission, staff and a consultant.
Planning Document Options
Peer communities frequently combine long-range policy direction with shorter-term implementation steps. A strategic plan commonly focuses on priorities, organizational capacity, measurable actions and near-term resource decisions over approximately three to five years. This approach can provide a useful implementation program but may not fully address long-term governance, funding, collection stewardship and geographic priorities.
A public art master plan typically establishes a longer-range vision and addresses governance, policy, funding, partnerships, collection care, opportunity areas and phased implementation. These plans often cover approximately 10 years and provide a durable framework for program growth.
A hybrid approach can combine a long-range framework with a shorter three- to five-year action plan, annual work planning and a midpoint update. This model could allow Castle Rock to establish lasting direction while maintaining a flexible implementation program that responds to changing projects, budgets and community opportunities.
Planning Approach and Preliminary Cost
The cost of the planning process will depend primarily on the division of work between the Town and consultant, the extent of community engagement and the number of technical products requested.
Under a Commission and staff-led approach, commissioners and staff could complete most research, engagement and drafting, with a consultant providing limited facilitation or review. This approach could cost approximately $20,000 to $45,000 but would require considerable staff and volunteer capacity and provide less independent analysis.
Under a hybrid consultant-assisted approach, the Town would prepare baseline materials while a consultant leads selected engagement, benchmarking, workshops, policy analysis and final synthesis. This approach could cost approximately $45,000 to $75,000 and may provide a balance between local ownership and outside expertise.
A consultant-led public art master plan could include discovery, engagement, analysis, recommendations, implementation planning, writing, design and presentations. This approach could cost approximately $75,000 to $120,000. A broader arts and culture plan or the addition of economic analysis, facility planning or other specialized services could increase the cost beyond this range.
These preliminary estimates were developed by comparing published municipal budgets, proposals and contract awards ranging from a limited $7,500 district plan to municipal public art planning proposals of approximately $65,000 to $127,400 and consultant contracts of $100,000 to $110,000. Because the communities and scopes differ substantially, the examples should be used only for preliminary budgeting. Final cost would depend on the project schedule, consultant travel, number and format of meetings, engagement methods, mapping and policy deliverables, graphic design and accessibility requirements, and the amount of baseline research completed by the Town.
Potential Planning Scope
A focused public art planning process could begin with an assessment of the Town’s existing program, collection, accomplishments, active projects, administrative capacity and current policies. A consultant could then compare Castle Rock with a defined group of peer and aspirational programs, focusing on governance, staffing, funding, artist selection, maintenance and evaluation.
Community and stakeholder engagement could include residents, artists, arts organizations, youth, businesses, developers, schools, Town departments, the Castle Rock Arts and Culture Foundation, the Commission and Town Council. The desired level and format of engagement should be established in the RFP so proposals are comparable and associated costs are clear.
The process could also review the Commission’s mission, vision, values and intended role and recommend a practical policy and operating framework. Potential topics include site identification, artist selection, artwork donations and accession, temporary art, maintenance, accessibility, risk management, intellectual property, public-private partnerships and the respective roles of the Town, Commission and legally separate Foundation.
The final plan could establish criteria and priority areas for public art at gateways, downtown, parks, trails, Town facilities, infrastructure and future developments. An implementation component could identify near-, mid- and long-term actions, responsible parties, dependencies, approximate resources, performance measures and a regular review cycle.
Additional services could be requested as optional or separately priced tasks. These may include detailed geographic information system mapping, a separate policies and procedures manual, formal percent-for-art analysis, economic or market analysis, cultural facility planning, an updated conservation assessment, an interactive collection map or implementation pilot projects.
Selected Peer Examples
Parker’s 2024 Public Art Master Plan is the closest Douglas County comparison and provides an example of a 10-year plan for a community of similar scale. Its process included an inventory and policy review, benchmarking, interviews, focus groups and location prioritization, followed by long-range goals and phased implementation.
Golden’s Public Art Framework Plan demonstrates a more concise approach that pairs strategic direction with separate operating policies. This model allows policies and procedures to be updated without revising the entire long-range plan.
Fort Collins’ FoCo Creates process provides a broader arts and culture planning example with extensive community engagement and cultural ecosystem analysis. While broader than Castle Rock’s current public art focus, it may offer useful engagement methods.
Johnstown’s 2025 request for proposals provides a recent Front Range example of a solicitation for a 10-year public art master plan. Its scope included an asset assessment, community engagement, site opportunities, funding, partnerships, phased implementation and accessible final materials.
These examples illustrate possible approaches and deliverables but are not identical in scope, community size or program maturity.
Procurement Considerations
A future solicitation to vendors and qualified contractors should clearly distinguish required and optional tasks and request a task-based fee, project schedule, engagement assumptions, team qualifications, comparable municipal experience, references, accessibility approach, proposed subconsultants and ownership of source files. Proposal evaluation should emphasize relevant public art planning experience, quality of approach, facilitation skill, practical implementation and team capacity, with price considered as one factor.
Budget Impact
No expenditure is requested with this item. Published examples suggest a preliminary planning allowance of approximately $45,000 to $120,000 for the most likely approaches, depending on scope and the division of work between the Town and consultant.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Commission review and discuss the planning approaches and scope considerations presented. The Commission may consider the desired focus and planning horizon, level of community engagement, priority deliverables and appropriate division of work among the Commission, staff and a consultant. Following discussion, staff will continue researching potential approaches, confirm applicable procurement requirements and prepare a more focused scope, schedule and budget framework for future Commission review. A meaningful consultant-led planning process would likely require approximately nine to 15 months following contract execution, depending on the level of engagement and required review and adoption process.
Attachments
Attachment A - Public Art Planning Outline Submitted by Commissioner Bob Gnaegy