Smyrna Public Art Committee - A. Max Bacon City Hall - HR Training Room — Minutes
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January 23, 2026 11:30 AM City of Smyrna Smyrna Public Art Committee Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 5 of 6 Committee is responsible for formally approving projects. Robert Harrison confirmed it would only take around three or four weeks for the subcommittee to develop a plan. Deputy City Administrator Kristin Robinson said she wanted to understand the timeline of these processes as the funding for the current fiscal year will expire on June 30 of 2026. Committee Member Robert Harrison said if there is immediacy for a certain project, then the subcommittee will accommodate such needs. Richard Garland asked who is on the subcommittee and Robert Harrison said four or five alumni from the Smyrna Arts Council. Richard Garland asked if this group is a subcommittee from the Public Art Committee. Chairperson Oglesby said it is not. Committee Member Robert Harrison said it is more of a working group. Deputy City Administrator Kristin Robinson said she needs to know whether the budget needs to be amended for additional project funding immediately or if it can wait. Richard Garland reminded the committee that the budget for last year was smaller than others as the primary goal of 2025 was for the Public Art Master Plan to be curated. Committee Member Imani Thomas asked if there is a specific budget for the ARTery. Deputy City Administrator Kristin Robinson said no, there is only one line item in the city’s financial system that is for art and therefore all things public art related are funded from that one account. Kristin Robinson encouraged the committee to follow a similar process to city department budgeting where a certain amount of money is requested or allocated to the public art committee, and the committee could provide specific projects to account for every dollar within the budget. Chairperson Oglesby said he would like the funds to be used in a manner for all of Smyrna to enjoy public art, and it is the committee’s responsibility to find creative ways to execute that goal. Committee Member Leah Barnes asked the group if determining a certain percentage of the committee’s efforts to the ARTery and to other surrounding area projects within the city would be helpful with budgeting and project execution processes. Committee Member Robert Harrison confirmed that the working group will brainstorm project ideas and bring them to the Public Art Committee for formal decision making. Deputy City Administrator Kristin Robinson asked if there is a specific timeframe for a certain number of projects to be executed. Committee Member Robert Harrison said no, and he plans to sit down with the working group to discuss such things. Special Projects Manager Carson Haynie said she believes the value in the Public Art Master Plan that the committee decided to pursue has given the community a voice to share what art they would like to see along the ARTery and within other wards. Carson Haynie said the plan gives the committee a great sense of direction when it comes to understanding the desires of the community. Chairperson Oglesby said there are only a few meetings each year and he looks forward to seeing more projects come to life. Community Services Administrator Richard Garland said it is important for the committee to remember that the committee has just invested a lot of time to the master plan and one of the objectives of this committee should be advocating for the master plan; therefore, if the ARTery is not a central component of the master plan then the committee will be headed in two different directions. Chairperson Oglesby said Richard makes a great point and the committee needs to be clear on the messaging for each project’s framework. 5. Approval of Minutes A. MIN2026-008 Approval of the October 24, 2025 Smyrna Public Art Committee Meeting Minutes Committee Member Burke Scott made a motion to approve item MIN2026-008; seconded by Committee Member Imani Thomas. The motion to approve carried with the following vote: