ATHENS, Ga. — The Athens-Clarke County Commission is trying to decide whether to include up to $250,000 for public art at the county's new $74 million jail.
The commission's policy is to devote up to 1 percent of the budgets for voter-approved, sales tax-funded construction projects to art.
Some commissioners expressed doubt at a work session this week that a jail is an appropriate place for public art.
"I have no interest in spending $250,000 on public art at the jail," said Commissioner Mike Hamby, who argued that the jail is less public than other government buildings.
The Banner-Herald reports Mayor Nancy Denson and commissioners Alice Kinman and Kathy Hoard say the art would be for sheriff's deputies, judicial employees, visitors and inmates who haven't been convicted.
The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission, an advisory board, has not decided what kind of art to install.
Cultural Affairs Commission member Laura Nehf, a past president of the Athens Area Arts Council, said many detention facilities incorporate art, mostly of a soothing or uplifting variety,
"It has been shown across the country that if you treat these centers like a community building, everybody benefits," Nehf said.
The commission is scheduled to vote on plans for the jail Nov. 1, including whether to include art.
The art would be placed at the entrance to the jail or in the lobby, said Buddy Golson of Rosser International, the consulting firm that is designing the jail.
Plans call for renovating parts of the existing jail and replacing others with new construction. The 209,000 square-foot jail would include 790 inmate beds, up from the current 360, as well as laundry and medical facilities, visiting and meeting rooms, common areas, training areas and offices.
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Information from: Athens Banner-Herald, http://www.onlineathens.com
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