Man builds rude statue to send angry message to town officials
A disgruntled small business owner has erected a five-metre statue of a hand flipping the bird as a message to town officials who rejected his application to build a garage on his property.
A decade ago Ted Pelkey applied to build a 743 square metre garage next to his home in Westford, Vermont, in the US, so he could move his truck repair and recycling business over from the nearby town of Swanton.
The Westford Selectboard and Development Review Board rejected the permit, as well as Mr Pelkey’s subsequent applications.
The Westford Selectboard and Development Review Board rejected the permit, as well as Mr Pelkey’s subsequent applications.
After fighting for 10 years he was fed up, but didn’t concede without making a bold statement, according to Boston.com.
While he was prohibited from building a garage on his property, Mr Pelkey erected something else – a $5500 commissioned sculpture of a hand raising its middle finger atop a five-metre pole.
The 54-year-old said the 317kg block pine structure was built to send a message to town officials about what he thought of their decision to reject his garage permit.
Mr Pelkey also attached two floodlights to the sculpture so it would be visible to passers-by at night.
“I’ve been put through the wringer by these people, and it’s just not right,” Mr Pelkey said.
“I haven’t been treated fairly at all.”
As the structure is considered “public art” it is protected by America’s free speech laws, and officials are powerless to order it to be removed, much to Mr Pelkey’s delight.
