The Cathedral City Public Arts Commission voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 4 to review applications for a public sculpture for Esperanza Park and to select three finalists.

City staff member Anne (last name not specified) told the commission that the sculpture call for proposals (RFP) has generated interest and that staff will screen applications before giving commissioners electronic access for scoring. "Once the three are selected, there's other steps to process that have all been identified in that RFP," Anne said, adding finalists will receive a stipend and be prepared to present in February.

Why it matters: The commission is running a competitively selected, community-facing public-art process intended to place a commissioned piece in Esperanza Park. Selecting finalists in December keeps the project on the timeline staff presented: an initial screening, commissioner review, finalist stipends and concept development, and finalist presentations in February.

Key details reported at the meeting:
- Staff said applicants have responded to the RFP; staff quoted the current submission count when speaking to the commission. (Application counts and specific stipend amounts were described in the meeting but specific stipend dollar amounts were not stated in the record.)
- The review will use the city’s online application portal (referred to as the "cafe" system). Commissioners will receive access and will be able to view portfolios and submitted materials electronically.
- Finalist presentations were scheduled tentatively for Feb. 10; staff asked commissioners to allow time for shortlisting before that date so the finalists can prepare.

Commission action and vote: Vice Chair Travis moved to schedule the special meeting; the motion was seconded and carried by roll call with all present voting yes. The commission also approved an item to memorialize that the staff report was for information and discussion and that no further action was required at the Oct. 14 meeting.

What staff will do next: Anne said she will perform an initial eligibility and completeness review, give commissioners access to the online application materials, and return with a draft agenda for the Dec. 4 special meeting. The clerk, Christina, also noted an earlier logistics change: "Due to a maintenance emergency, we did have to move the meeting to our downstairs location," so staff reminded commissioners and potential attendees of the alternate access.

Outstanding/unspecified items: The transcript does not state the exact stipend amounts for the three finalists, nor does it provide full names for some commissioners as recorded in the meeting audio. The RFP document and stipend amounts were referenced as part of the process but not read into the record; those details will be included in the special-meeting agenda packet that staff plans to circulate in advance.

Ending note: The commission’s timetable keeps Esperanza Park’s public-art selection moving through review, finalist presentations and community engagement toward a recommendation to city council later in the process.