A four-block area of 16th St between 7th Ave and 11th Ave. will be renovated.  The primary focus of the street improvements will be focused on the two blocks from 8th to 10th Avenues.  Note that the north edge of the University of Northern Colorado campus abuts this improvement corridor between 10th and 11th Avenues, while an historic canal (the No. 3 Ditch) angles to the corridor between 8th and 9th Avenues.  A major “Uptown Tree” installation accents the 8th Avenue corridor from 16th Street north to and through Downtown.  The UNC campus has monumentation at key edges of the campus, blue and gold themed street furniture and landscaping and banners attached to light poles along key pedestrian pathways; its mascot is a bear.

 The goal of the street improvement project is to improve a key community travel corridor and interface between the UNC campus and the adjacent neighborhoods and route to Downtown with street improvements to increase safety and mobility and offering new space to activate the pedestrian and shop areas by improving the public realm experience. 

One suggested design for the project and shows possible width of sidewalks of 17 ft wide in front of businesses (North side) that allow new space for outside dining and possible artwork with an additional 2 ft wide area between the sidewalk and street parking for streetlights and live trees. The south side of 16th Street between 8th and 10th Avenues shows a possible 10-foot-wide sidewalk with an additional 2 feet between sidewalk and street parking. Art within the mini roundabouts is not allowed.

Background

The City of Greeley is a community with a population of approximately 113,000. We are working closely with occupants and owners along the 16th Street corridor, which is a mixed-use community of retail and service businesses, single and multi-family residences, and the University of Northern Colorado campus. The collaborative decision-making process with locals will continue throughout this project.

The project includes improvements on 16th Street between 7th and 11th Avenues with major infrastructure improvements between 9th and 10th Avenues including two mini roundabouts and parking within the center median of the roadway. Complementary landscaping along the corridor and art installations are anticipated within the project limits.

As noted, project goals are to improve pedestrian safety and create a visually appealing and walkable environment by providing traffic calming and public features that will reinforce this corridor as a destination, attracting patrons and additional businesses, capitalizing on the area’s redevelopment momentum.  Artwork that contributes to this placemaking initiative will be prioritized.   Construction phasing is a concern for businesses, so planning for this during design is critical.

The final construction documents are scheduled to be completed before September 30, 2023. One or more artists will be commissioned to help design artwork alongside the overall 16th St. project team in 2023, and in a second phase will fabricate and install the approved final design of the artwork in 2023/2024. Art installation will be dependent upon the construction timeline of the overall project and may not occur until sometime in 2024.  

Application Requirements

Budget and Scope of Work

The total contracted amount for the entire art project is not to exceed $85,000 and is to cover all costs including but not limited to working with the design team to develop the art project, foundation, transportation, fabrication, delivery, and installation.

The Phase I ‘design’ budget for an artist to work as the artwork design consultant in 2023 with the project design team is $25,000, paid in installments throughout the design process. The selected artist must be willing to take part in monthly progress meetings with the design team. There will also be issue-specific meetings to work through design and coordination issues as the need arises. All of these sessions are anticipated to be remote.

Artist will develop three or four preliminary artwork designs/sketches with input from the team including the firm hired to complete the overall construction design of the 16th St. revision project. Artist will then submit the one design selected by the City as a detailed ‘final design’. Final design must be original and must include all details necessary for the fabrication and installation of the actual artwork including stamped engineering plans. The final design submitted by the artist shall be completed by November 2023. Once the final designs are accepted by the Greeley Art Commission and payment is made for the designs, the City will retain all rights of the final designs. Project construction is projected to follow from October 2023 through June 2024 but may be extended if construction delays occur. 

Phase II ‘fabrication/installation’ of the art contract will include installment payments of not more than $60,000 for artwork to be created and installed into the 16th St. revision project.  The projected completion for the overall project is June – December 2024. 

This Request for Qualifications is issued by the City of Greeley as the sole of contact.

Eligibility Criteria

All types of artwork, or series of works of art, that follow this criterion will be considered:

 •         All medias that are safe for humans and animals, and can withstand Colorado’s weather extremes from hot to cold in a single day and require little or no maintenance, including minimal fading of colors,

•         Diverse themes that are acceptable to a broad audience of all ages, cultures and sexual orientation,

•         Styles that are appropriate and complementary to the 16th St. corridor revision plan,

•         Are of an industrial grade relative to durability and do not appear to invite climbing or vandalism

•         Do not include logos, copyrighted or trademarked images or a form of signage or advertisement in any way

 The artist shall not sell full size reproductions of this design to any public entity within one hundred (100) miles of the City of Greeley. The average life expectancy for this artwork should be between 20 – 30 years. 

No project proposal is desired at this time.

Incomplete or late entries will not be considered.

Selected artist(s) will be notified by March 26, 2023.