The public survey to gauge how people feel about the proposed 37-foot tall “Angel de la Creatividad” sculpture is now online.
Oak Harbor City Council members have not yet decided whether to accept the gift, and the sculpture has been mired in controversy since it was presented during a park board meeting in February.
The estate of George Drake, who was an avid supporter of public art before he passed away, offered the bright red metal sculpture as a gift. A world-renowned artist, Sebastián, created the towering metal art.
Drake’s estate offered it to Bellingham first but then decided to offer it to Oak Harbor while the northern city contemplated its acceptance.
If accepted, the city will be responsible for $35,000 to install the sculpture. The money will come out of the city’s creative arts fund that is used for public art. It is supported by a 0.25 percent rate on utility taxes for water, sewer and solid waste operations.
The city’s social media monitoring software, Zencity, has noted that public perception of the art has been negative, and at least one council member is opposed to the piece.
Most of the formal public comments submitted to the city have been positive, although some of them came from non-residents, and multiple council members have expressed their desire to have the sculpture.
The public survey asks respondents if they live in Oak Harbor, if they would like the city to accept the gift, what color they would prefer it to be, and where it could go.
Proposed locations include Windjammer Park near the kitchen shelter, Catalina Park near the white gazebo, Flintstone Park between the trees and the shoreline and the future sports complex on the city’s 75-acre property at the end of Gun Club Road.
The survey said the bright red sculpture will need to be sandblasted so an engineer can inspect the welds. The color can be changed at that point.
The city has received 454 responses as of Monday night, according to Public Information Officer Sabrina Combs.
The survey is open through 10 a.m. on June 16 and can be found online at surveymonkey.com/r/AngelSculpture.
