Dunedin To Dedicate Public Art Sculpture At New City Hall Friday

DUNEDIN, FL — The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony of "The See," a public art sculpture by artist Heath Satow, on Friday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. at the new Dunedin City Hall, 272 Louden Ave., Dunedin.

The ceremony was previously scheduled for Thursday but was moved to Friday due to expected inclement weather.

Satow has been designing and fabricating public art for more than 20 year. He said he welcomes the challenge of creating art that appeals to a diverse audience from children to art critics. His sculpture "Ripple" won the 2012 Americans for the Arts' Public Art Network Award for its "innovative and creative contribution in the field of public art."

Click here to watch Satow unwrapping "The See" on Dec. 12.

Since then, he's been exploring the theme of "reflection" as both literal and metaphorical subject matter.

During an art talk with Satow Wednesday at the Fenway, he said "The See" represents his concept with a sleek contemporary interpretation of a water droplet to remind viewers they are a part of something larger. A single drop alone can't impact change, but enough drops together can be the catalyst for great change.

Satow related this to many drops making an ocean much like many individuals come together to create a city.

According to the Dunedin Public Art Master Plan Guidelines, art for this project was selected through a Request for Qualifications process, submitted nationwide through the city and various public art organizations.

A subcommittee, chaired by the city's art consultant, Elizabeth Brincklow, was selected consisting of an arts and culture committee member, city representative, city hall architect and engineer, other arts professionals, and a neighborhood representative.

Together, the committee reviewed art qualification submittals, selected and interviewed semi-finalists, and recommended Satow. The Dunedin Arts and Culture Committee unanimously confirmed the selection and recommended the artwork to the Dunedin City Commission, which approved the selection of Satow's "The See."

Satow builds everything in-house in his Ogden, Utah, warehouse studio, using direct fabrication techniques that minimize material waste.

None of the work is contracted out to overseas fabricators. For more than two decades, he has designed and produced his own work, and has completed every project on budget and on time,

Construction continues on the new city hall, which has been delayed due supply chain issues and difficulties finding subcontractor labor. Completion is expected in January. Once construction is complete, the city will host an open house event with entertainment, light refreshments and tours of the building.

Related: Construction Of New Dunedin City Hall To Begin In May

The new 39,000-square-foot city hall will consist of a two-story administrative wing and a single-story commission chamber with programming space included. It will accommodate 90 city employees.

The $22 million project was funded through various funding sources with a majority of money coming from the Penny for Pinellas sales tax.

The project includes the construction of a new 190-space parking lot with four electric vehicle charging stations across the street from the new building, as well as adjacent angled street parking around the entire complex.

Click here for more information.

In the meantime, city commissioners have become to explore options for the old city hall building at 542 Main St., which is more than 50 years old.

The reason for the new city hall is the old building was deemed too costly to maintain. Although it was renovated in 1978, remodeled in 1996 and had commission office space added in 2004, the building requires more than $620,000 in improvements to replace mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and another $600,000 to renovate the building.

As a result, commissioners are considering razing the old city hall and developing a new park on the property, which would cost an estimated $40,000.

Commissioner Jeff Gow said he favors creating another park that will allow families to spend more time downtown. He suggested a park with open space, a playground and public restrooms.