Staff ReportPREPARED BY: CHRISTINA GILMORE
Assistant to the Town Manager
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Finance
N:\SHARE\COUNCIL REPORTS\2016\06-21-16\Ad Hoc Citizen Committee\Veterans Memorial Staff Report FINAL.doc
MEETING DATE: 06/21/16
ITEM NO: 18
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: JUNE 14, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
A. ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE VETERANS MEMORIAL
AND SUPPORT FOUNDATION OF LOS GATOS FOR THE SELECTION OF
THE FLAME OF LIBERTY VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPT TO BE
LOCATED AT THE LOS GATOS CIVIC CENTER; AND
B. PROVIDE DIRECTION REGARDING NEXT STEPS
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the recommendation from the Veterans Memorial and Support Foundation of Los Gatos and
implement the following:
1. Accept the recommendation from the Veterans Memorial and Support Foundation of Los Gatos
for the selection of the Flame of Liberty Veterans Memorial concept to be located at the Los
Gatos Civic Center; and
2. Provide direction regarding next steps.
BACKGROUND:
At its January 20, 2015 meeting, the Town Council agreed that a Veterans Memorial should be located
at the Town’s Civic Center and asked that the Veterans Memorial and Support Foundation of Los Gatos
(VFLG) to move forward with developing conceptual design proposals for a Veterans Memorial that
included a trellis with a focal point on the Civic Center plaza or a design proposal for the redwood grove
that included statuary. These concepts should return to the Town Council for final selection.
The purpose of the Veterans Memorial as envisioned by the VFLG is to honor and recognize the
courage, loyalty, dedication, commitment and sacrifice of those who have served to defend America’s
freedom and to offer a site of contemplation for reflection and remembrance. The VFLG is a nonprofit
501 (c)(3) foundation dedicated to honoring and supporting both U.S. military veterans, the men and
women of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, and their families.
PAGE 2
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
DATE: JUNE 14, 2016
BACKGROUND (cont’d):
Upon review of the Council direction, the VFLG chose the redwood grove located in the southwest
corner of the Civic Center lawn fronting Main Street and immediately adjacent to Pageant Way, as the
proposed location for a Veterans Memorial.
DISCUSSION:
Request for Proposals and Selection Process:
In accordance with the direction from the Town Council, the VFLG released a Request for Proposal
(RFP) in October 2015 soliciting memorial design proposals from artists and/or architect design teams.
Applications with design proposals were due in January 2016. Six proposals were received from
artist/architect teams for the Veterans Memorial, and after a preliminary review of each proposal and
interviews with each artist/architect team by the board of the VFLG and Town staff, four qualified
proposals were selected to move forward in the design review process. Attachment 1 includes the RFP
that outlines the Veterans Memorial design criteria, the proposed elements, and the timeline for the
selection process.
Community Stakeholder Input
The VFLG held a community stakeholder meeting to review the four semi-final proposals for the
Veterans Memorial on February 22, 2016. Stakeholder groups were invited to self-select a
representative to participate in the meeting. Of the twelve stakeholder groups invited, eight
representatives from the following community stakeholder groups were in attendance:
Library Board
Friends of the Library
Parks Commission
Youth Commission
Arts and Culture Commission
New Museum of Los Gatos
Los Gatos Afternoon Rotary Club
Los Gatos Morning Rotary
Los Gatos Lions Club
Los Gatos Music and Arts
Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos
Police Foundation
Four representatives from the VFLG presented each of the four semi-finalist proposals to the
Stakeholder Committee. Staff from the Town Manager’s Office facilitated the discussion, soliciting
feedback on each of the proposals and asking each stakeholder to rank each proposal in order of
preference from 1 to 4, with 1 being the highest proposal preference.
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MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
DATE: JUNE 14, 2016
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Based on the comments and rankings of each of the four semi-finalist design proposals from the
Stakeholder Committee and the VFLG, a recommendation was formulated to advance two conceptual
design proposals, one from artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri, and the other from artist Frank Kocian Morris, to
the Town Council for review and consideration. The Stakeholder Committee comments are included as
Attachment 2.
Two Conceptual Designs
Artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri has proposed a bronze sculpture titled The Brave Patriot. The proposed
memorial design depicts the bald eagle in flight carrying the American flag, with the eagle representing
the free spirit, power, and grace exhibited by the great birds. The bronze eagle sculpture sits upon a
pentagon concrete podium that stands in front of a wall composed of concrete and rustic steel. The
statuary is proposed to be placed in a circular enclave that includes bronze reliefs and viewer seating.
Attachment 3 includes an image for The Brave Patriot sculpture. To view the concept video for The
Brave Patriot design, please visit https://vimeo.com/163335287.
The Flame of Liberty, designed by artist Frank Kocian Morris, is a sculpture of a ten foot tall Eternal
Flame inspired by the flame of the Statute of Liberty (see Attachment 4). The flame sculpture is
proposed to be made of a thin, steel wire frame, with sections within the frame filled with thick,
transparent, champagne-colored, hand-poured antique glass evoking the style of a lighthouse lantern, or
a stained-glass window, with an outer layer of tough, poly-carbonate clear plastic protecting the glass
from damage. The interior of the flame sculpture is open, and nestled inside the flame is a second,
smaller bronze sculpture of a “Soldier’s Cross,” a nationally recognized symbol in the form of a helmet
resting on an inverted rifle, representing the service and ultimate sacrifice of America’s Veterans. A
serpentine wall would serve as the backdrop to the sculpture; with interior lighting in the flame casting a
nighttime glow on the memorial structure (see Attachment 4 for the conceptual sculpture design and
Attachment 5 for the conceptual site plan). To view the concept video for the Flame of Liberty design,
please visit https://vimeo.com/163904338.
In each of the two memorial designs, the five branches of the United States military, and the Merchant
Marines are proposed to be represented with either bronze insignias or bas reliefs that would adorn the
either the Memorial walls or the base of the Memorial sculpture. In addition, the VFLG proposes to
recognize on the Memorial walls Emergency Services First Responders personnel, who so often
combine forces with the United States military in playing a pivotal role in homeland security.
Public Comment
The Veterans Foundation opened a public comment period to solicit community input on the two finalist
designs for the Veterans Memorial project beginning April 20 through June 3, 2016. Interested
members of the community were invited to review the designs on the Town of Los Gatos website
located at http://www.losgatosca.gov/VeteransMemorial and complete a comment form with their
PAGE 4
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
DATE: JUNE 14, 2016
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
comments on the two proposed designs. The Town received approximately 57 comments on the
proposed finalist designs. Of the comments received, 32 were supportive of The Flame of Liberty, 15
were supportive of The Brave Patriot, and 10 did not prefer either of the two proposals. The comments
received during this period are included in Attachments 8 and 9.
CONCLUSION:
The VFLG followed the direction of the Los Gatos Town Council to identify and recommend a Veterans
Memorial design. The VFLG conducted a design selection process with a select group of contributing
artists and/or architect teams who in turn developed proposals and renderings for Memorial design
consideration. The VFLG is providing a recommendation for the selection of a final design concept that
includes significant community outreach and input, and understands that the Town Council will have
final selection and approval of a Veterans Memorial.
Staff recommends that the Town Council review and consider the Veterans Foundation and Support
Foundation of Los Gatos recommendation for a final memorial design and discuss the following:
1. Does the Council agree with the recommendation of The Flame of Liberty as the final memorial
design concept?
2. Does the Council want to propose modification and/or refinement to some of the materials and
elements as proposed in the final Memorial design concept? If so, what specific refinements
would the Council like to see (e.g., maximum height)?
3. What direction would the Council like to provide regarding placement of the Memorial, and the
site design elements for the overall Memorial (e.g., walls, seating, landscaping, lighting, etc.)?
4. Would the Council like to review the modified artwork and site design at a future Council
meeting, or would the Council prefer to identify an alternate process?
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternatively, the Council could choose the following:
A. Direct the VFLG to proceed with the development and implementation of The Brave Patriot
design.
B. Not proceed with the selection of a conceptual Veterans Memorial design.
C. Provide other direction.
NEXT STEPS:
Depending upon the Council’s action and direction, Town staff will continue to work with the VFLG
with the goal of installing a Veterans Memorial. If the Council wishes to review the revised artwork and
site design, staff estimates that the item could return for Council consideration in early to mid-fall.
PAGE 5
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: VETERANS MEMORIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS
DATE: JUNE 14, 2016
NEXT STEPS (cont’d):
Staff also proposes, in partnership with the VFLG, to draft a proposed Agreement that outlines the roles
and responsibilities of the VFLG and the Town for the raising of funds for the design, permits,
construction, installation, and maintenance of the Veterans Memorial for Council review and
consideration. If, at that time, the Council gives its final approval, then the VFLG would submit
appropriate grading and building permits with the Town. Construction would occur after permit
issuance with the Memorial’s estimated completion in FY 2017-18.
COORDINATION:
This report was coordinated with the Town Manager’s Office and the Town Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no fiscal impacts associated with the recommended actions.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Veterans Memorial Request for Proposal (RFP)
2. Summary of Stakeholder Committee Comments
3. Conceptual Sculpture Design for The Brave Patriot
4. Conceptual Sculpture Design for The Flame of Liberty
5. Conceptual Site Plan for The Flame of Liberty
6. Artist Statement for The Flame of Liberty
7. Frank Kocian Morris Resume and Biography
8. Survey results of the Veterans Memorial Public Comments
9. Veterans Memorial Public Comments