December 18, 2007
By Joshua Molina and John Woolfolk
After two hours of back-and-forth wrangling, the San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to strip the public art from the $60 million south San Jose police substation to save $1.1 million.
But the artwork - a rock water sculpture and glass wall - may still find a home at the substation. The council agreed to include the art work if the city can find a way to pay for it by early next year. Councilman Forrest Williams, who unsuccessfully attempted to convince the full council to keep the art, said he will find the money. "I will find a way to fund the public art portion of the police substation," Williams said. "That is a commitment of mine." Shortly after the meeting, council members Nora Campos and Kansen Chu pledged to divert some money intended for projects in their districts to help pay for the art.
The cost to build the substation is $7 million higher than expected, forcing officials to scramble to find new ways to pay for the station. Tapping the arts fund was just one of the several accounts that the city plunged into to make up the difference.
Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio said the city must spend its dollars wisely.
"Great cities have art," he said. "Great cities have public safety. And great cities have fiscal restraint."
The three-story building, expected to house 400 officers, was the crown jewel of the $159 million public safety bond approved by voters in 2002. It is expected to open in 2009.
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