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Trustees push for Phoebe Hearst statue on library grounds; ADLC Commission to decide
Summary
Trustees heard an update from the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County planning head that there is no consensus on where a proposed Phoebe Hearst statue should sit; the trustees asked Director Sam Walters to ask assistant director Patrick Sullivan to prepare a computer-generated image and authorized Walters to send a letter and photos to the ADLC Commission.
The Hearst Free Library Board of Trustees discussed placement and transparency concerns for a proposed statue of Phoebe Hearst during its April 13, 2026 special meeting. Carl Hamming, head of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Planning Department, told trustees he could not speak for the Historic Resources Board and that because the library board and the HRB had not reached consensus both groups would submit written positions to the ADLC Commission for public consideration.
Trustees expressed a preference for locating the statue on library grounds and raised questions about what the statue would look like. The trustees asked Director Sam Walters whether assistant director Patrick Sullivan could create a computer-generated image of a proposed statue by the library handicap ramp for presentation to the ADLC Commission. Separately, Trustee Bobbie Frank moved and Trustee Connie Sheahan seconded a motion authorizing Director Walters to send a letter and photos to the ADLC Commission in support of the library trustees' preferred placement; the motion passed unanimously.
