To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Breyana Brandt, Parks & Recreation Director
Prepared By: Sarah Winski, Public Art Coordinator and Katrina Gregory, Recreation & Public Art Manager
TITLE:
Title
2nd Street Pavement Artwork
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution:
(1) Approving and authorizing the Parks and Recreation Services Director to execute a contract with Asphalt Impressions, Inc. for the 2nd Street Pavement Artwork Project (33PA23PR03) in an amount not to exceed $379,152;
(2) authorizing the Parks and Recreation Services Director to execute change orders not to exceed $37,915 as contingency to address unforeseen conditions that may be discovered during construction;
(3) determining that the exception for specialty items in Napa Municipal Code 2.91.050 applies to the agreement;
(4) amending the FY2025/26 & 2026/27 Capital Improvement Project Plan as documented in Council Budget Amendment No. 79P09; and
(5) determining that the actions authorized by this resolution are exempt from CEQA.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The 2nd Street Pedestrian Scramble public art project was approved by City Council in FY2022/23. In 2024, the City partnered with the Public Works department and the Downtown Napa Property & Business Improvement District (DNPBID) to expand this project to include five additional intersections with artistic bulb-outs - Brown, Coombs, Randolph, Franklin, and School Street - to create a “Pavement Art Corridor” along Second Street, which was approved by City Council in FY2025/2026.
The goals of the project are:
1) Create an exciting, appealing and harmonious public environment
2) Increase safety for roadway users
3) Be site specific and original
4) Attract and showcase qualified and diverse artists
5) Help provide formalization of public use path and educate on the use of a pedestrian scramble; and
6) Support the various goals articulated in The City’s Public Art Master Plan.
Artwork & Artist Selection Process
In January 2025, staff initiated a two-part process for artist selection that involved a nationwide Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and a Request for Proposals (RFP), open to selected finalists from the RFQ. Staff received over 100 applications to the RFQ, which were reviewed by the Art Selection Panel. The Art Selection Panel included two members of the Public Art Steering Committee (PASC), one representative from the Downtown Napa Property Business Improvement District (DNPBID), and one member of the community with a professional background in graphic design.
Following the RFQ stage, the Art Selection Panel recommended and PASC approved 16 artists moving forward to submit their proposals for the project’s RFP. Following the RFP submissions, the Art Selection Panel recommended 6 artists as the finalists and PASC approved this recommendation on June 3, 2025.
After receiving the final conceptual designs, staff completed a rigorous design review and cost-estimation phase of the project. To help stay within the project’s budget and be aligned with the various project design constraints, staff recommended a modified design proposal based on the selected finalist for the Pedestrian Scramble, Danielle Davis and her artwork ‘Napa Tapestry’. The ‘Napa Tapestry’ concept is based on the traditional textiles from six groups of people who have shaped and contributed to Napa: Wappo, Swiss, Chinese, German, Mexican, and Italian. Davis was inspired by the history of weaving as a mode of storytelling and that it represents bringing together separate elements to create a unified whole.
This revised design would use one of six textile patterns per bulb-out, rotating through each pattern and using a variety of vibrant colors up the 2nd Street corridor. This design would culminate at Main Street with the larger artwork ‘Napa Tapestry’ at the Pedestrian Scramble, which incorporates all of the patterns together. The design creates a cohesive narrative along the entire 2nd Street corridor.
The updated design proposal was reviewed with the Art Selection Committee, Public Works, DNPBID, and PASC. It was unanimously approved by the Public Art Steering Committee on February 24, 2026. See Attachment 2 for the Final Proposed Design.
The artist, Danielle Davis, is based out of Spokane, Washington. She is a graphic designer turned freelance illustrator and emerging public artist, who operates in a wide variety of styles. She is passionate about creating artworks that engage the public and promote a sense of community.
Construction Costs
The total construction budget, inclusive of the construction contract of a 10% contingency, and all owner’s costs, is anticipated as follows:
Asphalt Impressions, Inc. $379,152
Contingency for unforeseen conditions (10% of bid) $37,915
Construction management $5,000
Staff time $10,933
Artist Stipends $42,000
Total Recommended Construction Budget = $475,000
The recommended budget amendments described in this report update the FY2025/26 & 2026/27 CIP Budget to add a new obligation to the 33PA23PR03 project budget in the amount of $50,000 funded from Public Art Fund.
Compliance with Napa Municipal Code 2.91.050
By entering into the proposed agreement, the City will meet the purpose and goals identified in Section 2.91.050 of the Napa Municipal Code:
Napa Municipal Code 2.91.050: Procurement of Labor & Inspections
Under Napa Municipal Code 2.91.050, the City may enter into a contract for a “specialty item,” in accordance with this section, without further complying with the requirements of the city’s purchasing and contracting policies. This code applies to procurement of labor and inspections for this project.
After extensive staff research, it was determined there are only two fabricators that are able to create artistic custom pre-formed thermoplastics. Both fabricators work with only one authorized installer in Northern California, which is Asphalt Impressions, Inc. This is a highly customized application of thermoplastics and long-lasting pavement coating (e.g. SB-150) requiring a higher-level of expertise and specialized equipment.
Next Steps
The next steps for the project include fabricating the custom pre-formed thermoplastics for the Pedestrian Scramble artwork which will take approximately 2-3 months to complete fabrication. The installation would be anticipated in the summer of 2026. The installation of the artwork will be approximately 12 days. In addition, after the completion of the bulb-out artwork at the 5 intersections, there will be delineators installed to protect the bulb-out artwork as well as provide additional pedestrian safety in these intersections.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There are no financial impacts to award the construction contract in the base amount indicated. Sufficient funding for the base amount is included in the 2nd Street Pavement Artwork (33PA23PR03) project’s budget.
The recommended budget amendment amends the FY2025/26 & 2026/27 CIP Budget to obligate $50,000 from the Public Art Fund for 33PA23PR03 to provide sufficient funding for the project contingency and staff expenses overseeing the project through installation. In addition, there is an amendment to decrease project since the NDPBID funding of $150,000 was already received and it was deposited into a Special Revenue Fund account (29450500).
CEQA:
City staff recommend that the City Council determine that the Recommended Action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c), which exempts the repair or minor alteration of existing streets, sidewalks, gutters, and similar facilities.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
EX A - Council Budget Amendment No. 79P09
ATCH 2 - Proposed Artwork
NOTIFICATION:
Public Art Steering Committee