Council to scrap COVID-19 sculpture following community outrage
Northern Beaches Council mayor Michael Regan has changed his stance on the COVID-19 sculpture following community outrage which put the coastal walk arts trial at risk.
Manly
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A controversial plan to erect a sculpture commemorating the coronavirus on the northern beaches is set to be quashed following weeks of community backlash.
The Northern Beaches Council proposed to build an artwork on the Manly to Palm Beach Coastal Walk to help the community “reflect on and to understand” the COVID-19 pandemic.
It would cost a minimum of $100,000 from the council’s merger savings fund.
There was no maximum capped for the project but $2m had been allocated for the entire coastal walk arts trail.
After locals blasted the plans online, and a petition collected over 3000 signatures, Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan shared a statement on Facebook on Wednesday confirming he had changed his stance on the sculpture because it had “divided the community”.
“The motion will stand to hold an arts festival and event, but I’ll be killing the part about building an additional sculpture [dedicated to COVID-19], which was going to be brought forward as part of fast tracking works,” Cr Regan told the Manly Daily.
“It has been poorly communicated and, by large, the community has said it’s too soon to have that sculpture on the arts trail so I think it’s wise to kill it and to make sure the other parts of the motion are supported.”
A rescission notice to scrap the project was defeated earlier this month.
However, the mayor will move to scrap the plan at the earliest opportunity - three months from now. The council’s policy means the matter cannot be debated sooner as a resolved matter cannot be challenged more than once in a three-month period.
He said he council’s chief executive officer Ray Brownlee gave confirmation no action would be taken on the sculpture until it’s revisited.
“He notes there’s a mayoral minute coming and there will be no action done on this resolution because we don’t have the resources,” Cr Regan said
Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham told The Daily Telegraph the sculpture was initially a “well intentioned idea” which had to be scrapped after it was “distorted” in a social media storm.
“It was a well-intentioned idea which unfortunately got translated in the wrong way and became a COVID memorial, it was never intended to be a memorial to COVID,” Cr Bingham said.
“There was a lot of negative feedback… The concept got distorted so unfortunately we had to cancel this particular theme but there is still funding to do another artwork in future.”
The artwork was initially proposed by Cr Penny Philpott as a way to reinvigorate support for the local arts community in wake of the pandemic, which has left artists without work.
“It’s with regret and with my apologies to the arts community of the northern beaches that I am withdrawing part A of my 3-part motion,” she wrote in an email.
“A collaboration of northern beaches artists create a narrative of how, as a community, we amused ourselves during the pandemic lock-down, how we coped with the isolation and supported each other.”
Councillor Vincent De Luca was one of several councillors who led the charge against the sculpture and welcomed the move to abandon the “exceptionally insensitive” project.
“It’s definitely (a relief), it certainly shows the community can’t be fooled and they won’t tolerate misuse of their money for dare I say it vested interests,” Cr De Luca said.
“Local government is here to serve and listen, sometimes we might not want criticism but we have to take that on-board and approach everything with a fair open mind.”
Cr Sprott thanked the community for their “overwhelming support” to stop a “waste of money”.
“I am glad that through huge community backlash that the mayor has finally come to his senses and has indicated that he will be rescinding the COVID-19 memorial motion, however, the mayor voted against our earlier rescission motion,” Cr Sprott said.
The mayor confirmed at the next council meeting on Tuesday night funding for the coastal walk arts trail would be addressed.
There are 21 sculptures planned for the walk, which have been estimated to cost $100,000 to $250,000 per artwork.
The $2m allocated for the arts project was never intended to fund the full costs.
“The community has very broadly supported the art sculptures along the coastal walk and that was put in jeopardy because of this additional sculpture and that’s not on,” Cr Regan said.