A statue titled Reach, depicting a farmer picking a piece of fruit, is making its way through Campbell committees and commissions.

At a March 1 meeting, the city’s parks and recreation commission commented on the proposed statue and where it could be placed.

In 2015 Campbell resident Michael Krisman and his neighbor Peter Sokol proposed that an orchard farmer statue be placed at the northeast entrance of Campbell Park, at Gilman and Campbell avenues. The intersection is between downtown Campbell and the Highway 17 overpass near the Pruneyard shopping center.

“The purpose of the statue is to recognize Campbell’s agrarian past, promote civic pride while educating residents and visitors about the city’s heritage,” said Al Bito, the city’s deputy city manager.

At a Feb. 9 meeting, the civic improvement commission also gave input after the public art review committee reviewed the proposal. The civic improvement commission was generally supportive of the 7-foot bronze statue, Bito told the parks and recreation commission.

According to Bito, the public art review committee suggested fruit crates and a tree branch be added to the statue to reflect the city’s agrarian history. Other suggestions included the farmer being female, a child or a minority.

“Alternatively, the civic center improvement commission also proposed a different site in downtown Campbell on the western side” of Campbell Avenue, Bito told the parks and recreation commission. “We have a patch of land that is available for public art.”

Krisman told the parks commission he’d prefer to see it placed at the entrance of Campbell Park.

“Everyone has an opportunity to enjoy it, whether you’re walking by between restaurants or shopping, driving to home or to work, drop the kids off, going to Home Depot. Whatever you are doing, you have an opportunity to see that and take in some history,” Krisman told the commission. “It’s also got enough space in that park for an area around it for reflection and for people to gather.”

While the commission was generally supportive, some commissioners wondered if some type of fencing around the statue would be necessary to ward off vandalism. They asked about the cost of the statue itself and its installation.

Commissioner Allen Ishibashi said he liked the idea of it being at ground level.

“There’s a proposal to maybe put an iron fence around it. Maybe not an iron fence. I like the idea of it being flush with the ground and people being able to walk up to it,” he said.

According to a city staff report, the cost of the statue is estimated at $32,600 if it is created by Artworks Foundry of Berkeley.

Krisman said he and Sokol are looking to raise money for the project through grants and donations and possibly looking to nonprofits for assistance.

According to Bito, the city council will have its chance to review the proposal and the comments from both advisory boards to decide whether to support the statue plan.