How do these things happen?
Once again, a handful of people on the public payroll are rushing to make policy that their bosses -- area taxpayers -- know nothing about and are likely to revolt against once they find out what's going on.
This time -- making it all the more obnoxious -- the bright new idea runs directly contrary to community-wide decisions made about the bayfront and the Open Space just a few months ago.
Are they deaf? Or just blind?
The whole thing revolves around a steel beam sculpture that the new owners of the Kmart Corp. apparently would like to be rid of but a handful of people have decided would be perfect for the Open Space.
Perfect, that is, if you ignore the fact that just a few months ago, after more than a year of planning, polling and discussion, the community said its vision for the Open Space is that it remain mostly that -- open.
The piece by artist John Piet, titled Time Myth, was created 30 years ago for Kmart's Troy headquarters art collection. It is 44 feet square and looms nearly 30 feet in the air and weighs six tons. It would dwarf everything else along the bayfront no matter where it was placed and would be totally out of place.
But out of the blue we now find out that city officials have discussed the proposal, that Northwestern Michigan College's Dennos Museum Center is negotiating with Kmart, that Dennos Executive Director Gene Jenneman already has spoken to the bayfront planning committee and the Downtown Development Authority board of directors, that everybody just loves the idea and that this would be a "tremendous opportunity" for Traverse City.
Obviously, the wheels are greased; but as usual, the public is in the dark.
As part of the bayfront discussions there was talk of public art along the bay -- some day. But that doesn't mean that before the old zoo is even gone and before final plans have been drawn up the city gets stuck with a massive, totally inappropriate piece of art just because NMC can get a good deal.
When and if the time comes to add public art to the bayfront, the city should follow a public process. Put out a call for entries, let everyone see what's submitted and choose what is most appropriate and representative of the region. This is no time for a no-bid contract at any price.
This is not the process members of the public likely expected when they thought about public art on the bayfront -- a handful of people talking among themselves and deciding on the first thing that comes along.
If the community wants a six-ton, 30-foot-tall collection of steel beams on the bay, give them the chance to say so -- or no. This is no time to get stampeded into a very bad and very far-reaching decision.
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