Local News
Update: Statue plaza funding goal met and exceeded
by Matthew G. Miller
Monday, January 21, 2008
Nearly $175,000.
On the afternoon of their deadline, Paul and Libby Carr counted $174,940 in donations to the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project, coming in more than 11 percent over their target.
And the checks continue to pour in.
The total includes $10,550 left over from fund-raising by the Northwest Program for the Arts after it had the statue recast; and a pledge by Mayor Greg Nickels for $50,000 from the 2008 city budget.
In mid-December, their committee was $64,000 short. Two weeks ago, they were looking for the last $25,000. Last week, $15,000. On Thursday, Jack Tomkinson — with Urban Sparks, the fiscal sponsor for the committee — pulled 17 envelopes out of his post office box, donations for the statue plaza. Saturday morning, he found 35.
The Carrs found donors for the twelve benches they wanted to sell, and for all six landscape plaques, two of each in the last week. Another major donor handed them a check over lunch on Tuesday.
They raised $114,390 in less than five months.
Tuesday afternoon, Paul and Libby hand delivered a letter to the Mayor's office, meeting with Emelie East, a liaison from the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
They wrote: “Since the community could have ‘as much of the project as they could afford in this year,’ and we have raised more than sufficient funds to complete the entire project, we wish to begin final design approval and construction as soon as possible.”
The committee's goal was to raise at least $157,000 for construction costs estimated for a new pedestal, a brick-paved plaza, benches and landscaping, plus paying fund-raising expenses. They wanted to exceed their goal, hopefully adding a financial cushion to cover the increased cost of concrete, the addition of backs to the benches, and other cost overruns.
Tuesday's nearly $175,000 isn't even the final figure. Checks continue to come in, last minute donations from people clamoring for bricks, some who only recently heard about the project.
With more than five thousand spaces on the plaza otherwise blank, Libby said she will continue to accept orders for personalized bricks for a couple more weeks, that is until Kenadar, the brick-engraving company in Tacoma, needs the final list of inscriptions to start their work.
Kenadar, which made tiles for the Pike Place Market, needs two months to inscribe the bricks, which must be finished by the time the construction company starts paving the new plaza.
Next, Paul and Libby will meet with Tim Gallagher, the new superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Lynn Sullivan, the plaza’s project manager, to begin the process of vetting the architects plan, make any changes, put the project up for bid, and coordinate the construction schedule with the brick engraving company. |
