Staff Memo To Council

City of Apache Junction
Development Services Department
CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION STAFF MEMO
DATE: October 19, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
THROUGH: Rudy Esquivias, Development Services Director
Sidney Urias, Development Services Deputy Director
FROM: Erika Hernandez, Planner
SUBJECT: P-25-36-ART consideration of a professional
services agreement to design, purchase, and install
artwork within the State Route 88 and Superstition
Boulevard roundabout between the City of Apache
Junction and artist Karen Yank.
BACKGROUND
Apache Junction’s Art in Public and Private Development Program
(“APPD”) is funded by an art fee integrated within qualified
building permit fees for new commercial and multi-family
developments and renovations of mixed-use or non-residential
buildings; No taxpayer funds are utilized to support the city’s
APPD.
For many years, residents and the City Council have expressed
interest in installing a landmark sculpture within the
intersection of State Route (“SR”) 88 and Superstition Boulevard
roundabout. Once enough funding became available to support such
a project, the city’s Public Art Commission and Staff made the
SR-88 Roundabout project a priority to be the next big project
to be added to the city’s public art collection.
On March 31, 2026, a Call to Artists Request for Qualifications
(“RFQ”) was opened to select an artist to design, fabricate, and
install artwork at the SR-88 roundabout (see Exhibit 1). The
artwork is to be a site-specific vertical landmark that can be
viewed by drive-by traffic, while taking into consideration the
backdrop of the Superstition Mountains. It shall reflect the
character, landscape, and culture of Apache Junction and be
integrated within a hardscape, easily visible to approaching
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Development Services Department
traffic without excessive detail that might encourage prolonged
attention or distraction, and avoid inviting pedestrian
interaction.
The budget allocation for the SR-88 Roundabout artwork,
including costs associated with the design, materials,
fabrication, engineering costs, site preparation, installation,
taxes, insurance, artist and/or contractor travel, consulting
fees, transportation, storage, and any other fees associated
with the project are not to exceed a total of two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). Below is the Fee Schedule as
noted in the proposed agreement (Exhibit 2):
PAYMENT
PHASE DESIGN PHASE SERVICES PERFORMED
AMOUNT
1 Contract Executed $5,000
Artist’s Preliminary Design Proposal,
2 Tentative Project Timeline, and Final $5,000
Presentation Materials
3 Artist’s Final Design and Budget $10,000
4 Construction Documents $10,000
TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $30,000
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE SERVICES
PERFORMED PAYMENT
PHASE
Some construction phase items are AMOUNT
listed
Purchasing Materials and Supplies
1 City will initiate permitting $70,000
process with ADOT (if applicable)
Fabrication of Work to 50%
2 $50,000
Completion
Fabrication of Work to 100%
3 $50,000
Completion
Delivery and Completed Installation
4 $35,000
of Work
5 Technical and Maintenance Report $5,000
6 Transfer of Title $10,000
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October 19, 2026, City Council Work Session Memo

City of Apache Junction
Development Services Department
Public Presentation of Completed
7 $0,000
Work
TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $220,000
The artist shall present, in person, a preliminary design
proposal, at Design Phase 2, to be reviewed by the Public Art
Commission for a recommendation to the City Council and present
the design, after completing recommended changes by the
Commission, to City Council for approval. Council at this time
can ask for changes to the design, approve the design, approve
with conditions, or deny the project. If the project is denied,
the total owed to the artist shall not exceed ten thousand
dollars ($10,000).
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age
• Legally able to work in the United States.
• Reside in the State of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New
Mexico, Utah, California, Oregon, or Washington.
• Have at least four (4) years of public art experience with
municipalities and organizations.
• Have the ability to create durable works of art suitable
for the harsh Arizona desert environment.
• Not currently employed by the City of Apache Junction, a
member of the Public Art Commission, or an immediate family
member of City employees or Commission Members.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
1. A statement of interest describing the artist’s artistic
practice and overall interest in public art.
2. A resume which includes relevant public art experience and
education, illustrating public art projects previously
commissioned, completed, and paid for, particularly those
for governmental agencies and those including a public
participation component.
3. Six (6) to ten (10) work samples, images showing completed
or in-progress artworks.
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4. An image description sheet with details including the title
of the artwork, the year completed, medium, dimensions,
location the artwork was installed, total budget, and the
commissioning body.
5. At least three (3) professional references who are familiar
with the last five (5) years of the artist’s work.
The RFQ closed on April 30, 2026, to which one hundred and
thirteen (113) qualifying artists applied. Applicants were
scored out of a total of fifty (50) points on their artistic
merit, success with past projects, and community engagement and
collaboration based on the materials provided in their
applications by a five-person artist selection panel, comprised
of:
• Apache Junction Public Art Commission Chairman Jeffry
Danford
• Artist and former Goodyear Arts and Culture Commission
Chairman Alex Kohli
• Public Artist Laurie Lundquist
• Public Art Administrator and Deputy Director of Goodyear
Parks and Recreation Department
• Apache Junction Public Art Consultant Dianne Cripe
Each panel member narrowed their top scoring artists to (10)
artists to be discussed during the May 7, 2026, panel selection
meeting. Twelve (12) artists with two (2) or more votes from
panel members were reviewed and discussed at length, resulting
unanimously in artists ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice—Karen
Yank, John Randal Nelson, and Jeff Zischke respectively. Karen
Yank confirmed her interest in the project on May 18, 2026.
Karen Yank is an experienced public artist, having received a
bachelor’s and a master’s in fine art. With over sixty (60)
large-scale sculptures, including two (2) recent roundabouts,
both standing at twenty (20) feet in height (Carson City, Nevada
and Bend, Oregon) under her belt, Yank has earned several awards
for her works, including the PRIDE Award from the American Road
and Transportation Builder’s Association, the Golden Cumbre
Award from the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America,
the KRIS Art of Giving Public Art Award from Americans for the
Arts, and the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in Art,
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City of Apache Junction
Development Services Department
among others. For more information about the chosen artist,
please see her attached application package (Exhibit 3).
On July 21, 2026, staff presented details and results of the
RFQ, and the artist chosen, Karen Yank, to City Council (shown
in Exhibit 4) during a Public Art Update. The artist signed the
agreement to begin work on the project on August 31, 2026, for
the total amount not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars ($250,000).
RECOMMENDED MOTION
I move that the Apache Junction City Council approves the
professional services agreement associated with the Apache
Junction Public Art Commission Project Number P-25-36-ART, to
design, purchase, and install artwork within the State Route 88
and Superstition Boulevard roundabout between the City of Apache
Junction and artist Karen Yank, shown in Exhibit 2.
Attachments:
- Exhibit 1: Call to Artists RFQ SR-88 Roundabout
- Exhibit 2: Signed Professional Services Agreement
- Exhibit 3: Karen Yank Application Package
- Exhibit 4: RFQ SR-88 Roundabout Slide 7-21-2026
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