By Marilyn Bauer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Czechoslovakian artist Vratislav Novak and Miami University's Susan Ewing.

Cincinnati's Director of Parks will recommend Thursday that park commissioners abort the Crystalline Tower project intended for construction in Cincinnati's Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park.

The 83-foot-high titanium tower that won the park commission's international design competition last October was created by Miami University professor Susan Ewing and Czechoslovakian artist Vratislav Novak.

A second piece, designed by Welsh artist David Nash, will be constructed as planned. Parks director Willie F. Carden Jr. will propose Mr. Nash receive an additional $10,000 to his $100,000 budget to cover costs related to currency fluctuations. The budget for the Crystalline Tower was $200,000.

Mr. Carden wants to cancel the Crystalline Tower because of increased construction costs for the park on the riverfront along Eastern Avenue. Extra costs of $160,000 have been incurred because of a delay in receiving permission to construct a rail spur across two properties and a problem with the way concrete was poured, causing hairline fractures in the cement's surface.

"What it comes down to," Mr. Carden said, "is that we are running into some budgetary concerns to finish the park. ... The tower was a line item. One line in the $8 million budget."

But according to Ms. Ewing, the intent was always there for the money to be awarded for the tower and construction contingencies were never part of the mix.

"We won that competition and it was always understood that there would be a contract. We were working toward that," she said. "I even asked if the money was secure. Doug Fraser, who was the parks department project manager, even sent us a draft contract on Feb. 12 so we could go over it before we signed."

When asked about Mr. Carden's proposal to cancel construction of the tower, Mr. Fraser, who has since left the department, said, "I'm not surprised because Mr. Carden never liked the project. I think it's a natural projection - the budget became an issue.

"We went through a very public process in selecting what the pieces would be within our budget. And the board had essentially accepted the recommendation of the art advisory panel they had put in place to make the selection. I would have thought there had been a good-faith agreement, if nothing else."

The art panel that selected the winners of the parks department competition included the directors of the city's three major museums.

"It certainly seems terribly unfair," said Charles Desmarais, director of the Contemporary Arts Center and member of the panel. "For the artists to work as hard as they did to compete in the first place and then to have it canceled. This is so much later and after the fact - we met more than a year ago - it hardly seems appropriate."

Ms. Ewing has yet to receive a contract from the parks department. Nor, she says, has she received the $15,800 that was supposed to be released to her from the parks department matching funds for an Ohio Arts Council grant she received in July.

The arts council could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Carden says there was no contract between his department and the arts council requiring release of matching funds, nor did he have a contract with Ms. Ewing. "We had a conceptual contract,'' he said. "That means we like what you're doing, now come back to us."

But in a letter dated Feb. 21, 2001, from Park Commissioner Frank Russell to the arts council, he wrote: "During the Park Board meeting in which this piece [Crystalline Tower] was officially approved for inclusion in the park, the Park Commissioners expressed a strong desire to retain all elements of this piece. This letter will serve to convey our strong support and commitment to the project as the Ohio Arts Council considers the possibility of further funding for this effort."

Conflicting accounts by Ms. Ewing and Mr. Carden also surround the project's final budget, additional funding and architectural plans.

"I'm not going to let anybody put junk into the park," he said."... If I have to choose between finishing the park and putting in a piece of artwork, I am going to finish the park."

The Board of Park Commissioners will hold a public meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday at parks department offices at 950 Eden Park Drive.

E-mail mbauer@enquirer.com