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Trustees, public disagree on placement and process for incoming Phoebe Hearst statue
Summary
Trustees and public commenter Rose Nyman debated potential locations for a Phoebe Hearst statue and raised concerns about pedestal height, sprinkler corrosion risk, and inter-board communication; Trustee Bobbie Frank left the meeting during the exchange.
A dispute over placement and transparency for an incoming Phoebe Hearst statue dominated the meeting's miscellaneous and public comment time. Trustee Bobbie Frank said she was disappointed trustees could not see a picture of the statue at the last Historical Resources Board meeting and questioned why a lilac bush would be removed for the statue. There was general agreement among trustees that the library grounds could be an appropriate site and that more communication between county boards is needed.
Rose Nyman, who attended the meeting as a private individual, said she "did not vote against the HRB placing the statue at the library" and urged trustees to consider corrosion risks from sprinklers; she described the statue mold and the proposed granite pedestal, saying the pedestal weighs roughly 3,000 pounds while the statue will weigh roughly 360 pounds. The exchange became personal at times and Trustee Frank left the meeting; other trustees called for regrouping and improved coordination between the Historical Resources Board and the library trustees to settle the statue's final placement before delivery this spring or summer.
Trustees and Ms. Nyman also discussed alternatives, including placing the statue along Main Street on library grounds or at Kennedy Commons, and debated pedestal height and the effects of sprinklers on bronze sculpture. No site decision or formal action was taken during the meeting.
