Residents updated the Williamsburg City Council on multiple arts initiatives Thursday, including new plaques for public artwork and a potential new indoor performing arts center in downtown.
In June, the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority voted unanimously to approve an interim agreement with MEB General Contractors Inc. to design an indoor performance venue. Local group Advocates for a Live Performance Venue also received a grant from the council to do market and economic analyses for the project.
Robin Bledsoe, chair of ALPV, said the group is finishing its nonprofit paperwork and has met with focus groups to discuss the logistics of the venue.
“We are actively developing our fundraising plan so that we have priorities and we know what we need to do to make this a reality,” Bledsoe said. “We are so enthusiastic about this. We have a lot of support in the community.”
Council members later discussed increasing awareness of public artwork. Since 2021, the Williamsburg Public Art Council has been cataloging art in the city and has developed a Public Art Story Map through the city’s geographic information system, or GIS, platform. Recently, WPAC introduced informational, ADA-compliant plaques for each piece. Council member Barbara Ramsey, who also serves on the WPAC board, said that the research and design of the plaques were impressive for a newer organization. Mayor Doug Pons said the plaques would be a great opportunity to generate more excitement for the artwork.
Also Thursday, the council invited Fire Chief Larry Snyder to discuss concerns about Tropical Storm Debby, which is expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of rain and peak winds of 31 mph over the weekend. Snyder said emergency services are prepared for restoration needs after the storm.
Council approved a $107,000 contract with ARC Document Solutions to digitize city records, including documents from the 17th and 18th century. City Manager Andrew Trivette said digitization would protect records from damage and will take four to six months to complete.
“This sounds like a very reasonable thing we need to do in terms of both accessibility to the public and to history,” council member Stacey Kern-Scheerer said.
