DOWNEY - Plans for a "Wall of Fame" outside City Hall gained approval by the City Council this week.Nominations for honorees will be accepted from the public but council members will have final say on who is honored. The project is estimated to cost up to $20,000 and will be paid for using the Art in Public Places fund. Residents wishing to nominate a person for inclusion will be asked to write a 200-word essay or make a 3-5 minute presentation in front of a 10-member Citizen Review Committee, which will recommend nominees to a subcommittee comprised of two council members. The subcommittee will then make its own recommendations to the City Council for a final decision. Nominations will be accepted between September and January. The council will select honorees in April and enshrinement is scheduled for June. The process will take place on an annual basis. The first class will include up to five honorees. A maximum of two inductees will be honored each year thereafter, according to community services director Thad Phillips. Current elected officials are not eligible for induction. The Wall of Fame will be constructed on the outer perimeter wall of City Hall, near the front entrance. City attorney Yvette Abich-Garcia said Tuesday the Wall is eligible as a public art project according to previous standards approved by the City Council.

********** Published: August 11, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 17