Will the butterflies ever find a place to land? Pam Marino here, with an update on the monarch butterfly stained glass window that local developer Nader Agha wants to donate to the City of Pacific Grove. There’s a bit of a showdown tomorrow tonight at the P.G. City Council meeting over the window’s fate.
Last October I reported on Agha’s attempt to donate the window he designed himself, that once adorned a half-moon-shaped window space at the Holman Building, which Agha once owned. He told me the large piece was once appraised at $250,000 and that he’s had several offers to sell it.
“It’s for the city,” Agha told me.
City officials have their concerns. Even though Agha has offered to pay for its installation, city staff have expressed worries that anywhere it gets installed, it could be subject to vandalism or breakage. They also don’t want to have to pay for its long-term maintenance.
Agha and his supporters—a group calling themselves the “BBB” for “Bring Back Butterflies”—have their eyes set on the half-moon-shaped window space at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.
Only problem, the museum doesn’t want it.
Last fall, Executive Director Rachel Miller said they were concerned that the stained glass would block natural light in a museum that’s already poorly lit, among other issues.
Agha temporarily withdrew his offer so that they could continue to find a spot to install the window. According to a report submitted to the council, Agha and the BBB approached owners of the Kimpton Hotel, currently under construction across the street from the museum, and the owners declined.
After polling members of the public, the BBB leaders concluded that the museum was the preferred destination.
The chair of the museum foundation, John O’Sullivan, made it clear in a recent letter to the council that Miller’s concerns weren’t hers alone, they reflected the opinions of the entire board.
“Fabricated in 1995, the window is not historical and falls outside our collections’ scope of preserving Pacific Grove’s natural and cultural history,” O’Sullivan said.
He also said the museum had no interest in taking on “unplanned financial and operational burdens” in light of the uncertainties of federal funding. The board urged the council to decline the proposal.
The staff report for tomorrow’s meeting gives the council the options of turning down the donation or approving it and authorizing the staff to find a suitable location.
The conundrum of what to do with a piece of art is nothing new. Municipalities routinely have to weigh the generosity of the gift against the responsibility of spending the people’s money carefully.
If you’re interested in the fate of the butterfly window, the meeting begins at 6pm, tomorrow, April 16. You can participate in person at City Hall, 300 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, or watch online on the city’s YouTube channel. Instructions on how to participate virtually can be found on the agenda.