By Jorge Casuso

January 31, 2012 -- Santa Monica officials are recommending that the Civic Center's iconic "Chain Reaction" sculpture be removed after structural engineers determined the 26-foot-tall work made of chain link posed a threat to public safety.

The 21-year-old work by Pulitzer-prize-winning cartoonist Paul Conrad will meet its first pubic test at a special meeting of the Arts Commission Wednesday. But its ultimate fate will be decided by the City Council, which narrowly approved the controversial sculpture in 1990 after two years of public process and debate.

"If this action is subsequently approved by City Council the work would be offered first to the artist’s family and heirs and/or to any arts institution of their choosing," staff wrote in its report to the Arts Commission.

"It would also be thoroughly documented for historic purposes and a record of it made available both online and at the library," staff wrote.

The move will not likely appease supporters of the sculpture who have added some 100 signatures to a petition and plan to lobby the commission at Wednesday's meeting to save the sculpture, which City officials say would cost between $227,372 and $423,172.

"I find it hard to fathom that it couldn't (be saved)," said Jerry Rubin, a local peace activist who has been circulating the petition. "If there's a will, there should be a way.

"It's an uphill battle, but I think we need to go the extra mile for this," Rubin said. "It's a special public art piece."  

City officials contend that spending the money needed to conserve the work does not guarantee the results will last, while the necessary tests would only cause further damage.

"Even if the City were to invest in the testing, repair and conservation of the work, it is likely that in the next ten to twenty years the work would again present a risk due to the aging of the fiberglass core that supports the copper chain link system," staff wrote.

Attempting to completely rebuild the structure by replacing the fiberglass not only would boost the cost but result in a work "that would become essentially false," since Conrad "spent a great dealing of time" arranging the chains that finish the work, staff said.

The chain of events that lead to Wednesday night's meeting began last spring when City building officer Ron Takiguchi observed children and other members of the public climbing and interacting with the sculpture.

Takiguchi inspected the sculpture and found that many of the fasteners that attach the copper tubing chain to the fiberglass core were either missing, not fully imbedded or exhibited severe corrosion.

After an interdepartmental group of staff members met to review the findings, City officials decided to fence off the work and conduct a more thorough assessment. The results of that assessment led to staff's recommendation to the Arts Commission this week.

"While the City has an obligation to care for the works in its collection for future generations, it also has an obligation to carefully weigh major expenditures," staff concluded.

"It appears at this point in time that the work was not constructed in such a way as to ensure its structural stability over the long term, or beyond 20 to 25 years, without significant investment and repairs."