Council lets RDA pick sculpture site The Fisk pool was closed at the end of last summer because it needed too many repairs to be economically viable (photo by H. Marc Larson). The city also hears from Fisk Pool neighbors By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle The Green Bay City Council passed the art buck to the city's Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday, letting it select the final site for a proposed piece of public art one alderman called the "feathered watchamacallit." The council had voted to send the issue of a sculpture proposed for downtown along the Fox River back to the Park Committee and the RDA for further discussion after voting to reconsider its approval of a site two weeks ago, then reconsidered. The sculpture, a 12-foot metal collage by artist Richard Taylor, won a competition held by the Northeast Wisconsin Arts Council for the spot. But the City Council has balked, saying it wanted to see other options. It voted to send the issue to the two committees. Several representatives of the art community angrily said they had not been given a chance to speak; apparently none had thought to ask an alderman to move that they be given the chance. When they did, they emphasized that they wanted to cooperate with the council and that the piece was the best of the options they had chosen from. They handed out a brochure with models of the second- and third-place selections. One, a roundish sculpture, was voted down as too similar to another sculpture soon to be placed elsewhere in the city, while another, a rock and water formation, was voted down because it would require more construction and could not be moved if needed for development. Council members had indicated they were angry they were not brought into the process earlier. But Suzanne Scheier, a member of the NEWAC board, said the group had been told by a pre-election Park Committee that NEWAC's public art committee would handle the selection process and come to the city only for approval of a site. If the city wanted more say in the selection, "it should have been made clear in April," she said. The makeup of the Park Committee changed after the April election. Other objections included the lack of local artists. Scheier said several local artists had submitted work but Taylor's had won the day. She objected to proposals that Green Bay should only use local artists, saying it would hurt local artists who entered competitions elsewhere, only to be barred because other cities' artists could not find a spot in Green Bay. Ald. Chad Fredette offered a compromise, noting that the Old North Neighborhood Association was trying to build a sculpture garden at the corner of Webster and Harvey streets, and the Taylor piece might go there. He suggested letting the RDA make the decision. Ald. Tony Theisen called for a final vote on location by the council. He cited a 1970s visit to the council to see the X-rated movie "Last Tango in Paris" to see if it was suitable for Green Bay's residents. "I don't think the City Council should pick what movies we can see or what art we should see," he said to applause. Now, it won't - or at least, it won't pick the site where the art can be seen. - The council also heard about pools, with several residents around Fisk Park saying they wanted their old pool back. No action was taken on the issue, which will be handled soon by the Park Committee. The Fisk pool was closed at the end of last summer because it needed too many repairs to be economically viable. The city is looking at where to site a new pool. Parks director Bill Landvatter gave a presentation on the history of Green Bay pools and the mathematics of siting them to give the utmost service to the community. But Zima said the near West Side, because of its population density, needed the pool more than a more centrally located area. "The greater need is in the inner city," he said. He also said that at the time the Joannes pool was closed and the park's aquatic center was built, Fisk neighbors had been told a remodeling of their facility would be next. "If you don't do something with Fisk, it's a broken promise." Fisk neighbors said the pool was a needed amenity and kept the neighborhood safer by giving residents something to do. Eddie Kurowski, a resident of the area, said "when you shut the pool down, you shut the neighborhood down." Others agreed. But few wanted a Joannes-style aquatic center, citing the extra space needed for facilities and parking in a small area. "We have money for Packer statues and a bank parking ramp," said Jim Sanders. "Some money should be sparked toward the inner city." Between the pool and art issues, the council had not reached the committee report level of the agenda by 10 p.m.