Miami Beach

Nov. 26, 2008

Down the Drain

Committee Flushes Sewage Pump Art Project

By Lee Molloy

It was in January of 2002 that the then-Mayor David Dermer and the Miami Beach City Commission approved a $100,000 contract with Paul Fullerton to provide a piece of public art that screened the electrical boxes that control the city’s sewage pumps at the intersection of Third Street and Washington Avenue. Five years later, however, without completing the work, Fullerton was declared disabled by the Social Security Administration and he was released from his contract. In total he was paid $70,000 for delivering nothing.

So, with $30,000 left in the budget for the project the Art in Public Places Committee met in April of this year to discuss possible artists to actually do the job.

Max Sklar, the director of Cultural affairs and Tourism Development for the city outlined the process by which artists are selected.

“[We] put out a call to artists … get some submissions …we make some recommendations to you all,” Sklar said.

The artist chosen to complete the project was Wendy Wischer, who had submitted three proposals to the City. ‘Liquid Measures’ was the name of the piece that was unanimously selected by the committee. Her idea was to clad the boxes in tiles. “The Waterglass tiles will have a watery effect and shimmer as viewers walk by, referencing the water that surrounds Miami Beach and lies just a few blocks away,” Wischer said in her proposal.

“My question goes to the canvass it is on,” said Miami Beach Resident, Peter McKnight, who was concerned that the pumps are old and that there was a potential for them to be reduced in size or removed completely, making the need to cover them with art moot. “This is a foolish way of presenting an artist’s work,” he said.

However, Public Works Department Director Fred Beckmann asserted that “all our pump stations have been upgraded.”

McKnight then claimed that he had seen one of the electrical panels broken, a claim that visibly upset Beckmann. “Are you an electrical engineer, sir?” Beckmann asked.

“I can tell a broken gauge,” replied McKnight. However, before the exchange escalated further Tobin stepped in to cool things down.

The residents continued to weigh in with their opinions, however.

“I think it’s a waste of $30,000…no matter how you clad them they’re still very strange elevated boxes,” said resident Ruth Remington.

Long time community activist, Frank Del Vecchio agreed: “Why don’t we put the money somewhere else?” he said.

After hearing the negativity in the room, Commissioner Jerry Libbin suggested that the committee vote down the project completely, and keep the $30,000, a motion that passed unanimously.

Tobin apologized to everyone for wasting their time on the project.

“We’re just in a super-duper tough economic time,” he said.

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