Honorable Mayor and Council Members:

Ive often been baffled why the City of Menlo Park does NOT have an ART COMMISSION, when almost every City and County, both north and south of us, such as Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale to the south and Redwood City, San Carlos and San Mateo to the north, have one.

Why do they have a dedicated group of interested citizens volunteering to be on an Art Commission? The reason may be that public art makes a difference in the lives off citizens within the community. Without it, a community may be missing out of what ONLY art can achieve.

As you know, art can inspire, it can motivate, it can sooth and overall appeal to human lives like nothing else can. The topics that an Art Commission may focus on can be found in 1) Dance, 2) Music, 3) Poetry, 4) Sculpture, 5) Paintings and many other forms. If money is holding you back, Im sure corporate and individual donations can help to jump start the program.

With all the development going on and proposed, is public art encouraged as part of their project in Menlo Park - the answer is NO. However, it IS required by many other communities. Even the Town of Atherton, a third of Menlo Parks population size, has an Art Commission.

Kindly consider adding this to your City Council agenda before the end of the year so that the topic can be discussed. My sense is you have much more to gain by establishing an Art Commission than you do by not having one. Thank you for your time and consideration. It is much appreciated.