Library trustees ask county commission to decide Phoebe Hearst statue placement

The Hearst Free Library Board of Trustees discussed placement and design transparency for a proposed statue of Phoebe Hearst and voted to ask the county commission to decide the issue.

At a special meeting April 13, Director Sam Walters and trustees hosted Carl Hamming, head of the Anaconda Deer Lodge County Planning Department, for an update on the statue and next steps. Hamming said he could not speak for the Historic Resources Board but reported that, because the boards had not reached consensus on placement, each group would submit its position in writing to the Anaconda Deer Lodge County (ADLC) Commission for public consideration at an upcoming commission meeting.

The trustees voiced a preference to place the statue on library grounds and expressed concern about the lack of transparency about the statue’s appearance. Trustees asked Walters to see whether assistant director Patrick Sullivan could prepare a computer-generated image showing the statue sited by the library’s handicap ramp so the trustees’ proposal could be displayed to the county commissioners.

Trustee Bobbie Frank moved to authorize Director Walters to send a letter and photos supporting the trustees’ preferred placement of the Phoebe Hearst statue to the ADLC Commission. Trustee Connie Sheahan seconded; the motion passed unanimously.

The board also discussed the status of funding for the statue but recorded no decision on funding sources or timelines at the meeting. Hamming additionally noted separate county planning work, including discussion of a local pond rehabilitation project; no action on that project was taken by the board.

The board’s next procedural step on the statue will be to present its written position and any visual materials to the ADLC Commission, which Hamming said will address the matter in public session. The trustees did not record a final agreement on the statue’s design or funding at the April 13 meeting.