Before Langley can improve its standing as an arts-centric town, the public’s support needs to be reaffirmed.

The city of Langley and Langley Arts Commission will host “A Day of Focus on the Arts” from 11-1 p.m. on Thursday, June 23 at Langley United Methodist Church, where citizens can comment on the commission’s six-year master plan. An economic development strategy meeting more than anything, Langley officials and arts commission members will gauge community members on their hopes, wishes and concerns regarding arts in the city.

At the forefront of the meeting is the proposed $800,000 transformation of the undeveloped Seawall Park into a sculpture and event park. It will be paid for largely with grants, donations and fundraisers in the hopes of making it a centerpiece of the master plan, arts commission chairman Frank Rose said.

Rose urged property owners near Seawall Park, as well as other interested parties, to attend the meeting. Rose said he is ready to drop the Seawall Park plan if support from the community is not evident.

“They might want to have a vote and this is what this is all about,” Rose said. “It’s not about what the arts commission wants; it’s about the community’s needs and desires.”

“How do you get $800,000? You have to prove to the community that it’s a good project and it will benefit the community and bring in economic development,” he added.

Kicking off the day is Mayor Tim Callison, who will lead a presentation on the city’s economic status, a forecast for its future as well as the type of impact arts have had on the city’s economic development.

Rose will lead the second portion of the meeting and provide an update on focal points of the master plan, namely Seawall Park, as well as other projects to be considered.

The final hour of the meeting will be dedicated to gathering input from attendees by splitting up into groups and discussing needs and desires for public art. Ideas and thoughts will be compiled in written form. There will also be opportunities for public comment during this segment.

Rose said Seawall Park, located on less than one acre and overlooking Saratoga Passage, has the potential to include not only Native American landscaping and art, but also serve as a recreational facility for all ages, shelters and events. The overarching objective is to make the park a place for residents and children to enjoy, as well as bring new and exciting vitality to the city. Clearing the park of its blackberry bushes and making the steep hill between the Dog House Tavern Hladky/Whale Bell Park accessible for wheelchairs would be among the list of items to accomplish moving forward.

Other projects included in the master plan are sculptures at the post office and Second Street, and an archway and mural at Clyde Alley.

“The arts community is an important part of the development of the island both for tourism and just basic economic growth,” Island Arts Council Vice President Kay Parsons said.

Part of the meeting’s objective is to lay the groundwork and hammer out specifics on proposed projects. Callison said such details are need to apply for grants.

“We’d like to have a community agreement on what kind of art pieces we’re trying to purchase, where they should be placed and what kind of arts should be involved,” Callison said.

Callison said grants could come from Island County, National Endowment of the Arts and Washington State Arts Commission. The city is currently in the process of acquiring a rural economic development grant from the county. To do so, Callison will need to show that the arts are a major contributor in attracting people to the city.

In the eyes of Rose, it would be an easy sell. The Whidbey Island Arts Council has provided economic health to the city as an umbrella organization, he said, for groups such as Whidbey Children’s Theater, Choochokam Festival, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts and the Island Shakespeare Festival.

Following the economic development strategy meeting, the Whidbey Island Arts Council is holding a public community partnership celebration at the Greenbank Progressive Hall. The gathering is from 4-7 p.m. and will celebrate over 35 years of serving artists, arts organizations, schools and artistic events. It will be a chance for the council to finally claim some of the glory that Rose feels it deserves.

“We’ve never taken the credit that I think we deserve for what we’ve done for island arts,” Rose said.

Beer and wine will be served at the event, though an RSVP is required to partake. To RSVP, visit www.islandartscouncil.org.