For now, the Mural is
still here. Also, the U.S. Dept. of the
Interior rejected the Army Corps claims that, "the U.S. Bicentennial
was not significant historical event". The Dept. of
Interior's conclusion below, has created a new benchmark for future
historians.
“We
feel sufficient
documentation is available to mark the event and the activities
surrounding the celebration as significantly contributing to the broad
patterns of American history.”
The Dept. of the
Interior also found the mural could be eligible for
historic status, as it reflects the undertaking, efforts, and views of
the community at a certain time in history, and has come to symbolize
the enduring contribution valued by the generation that erected the
property.
However, The Dept. of
the Interior, denied historical status to the
Bicentennial mural, based on it's current condition.
To
imagine a graffiti vandal with a bucket of paint, gets to determine
the historical fate of the greatest Monument to freedom on the West
Coast of the U.S., is flawed to say the least.
So what happens now?
We find a way to preserve this great work of
community art and monument to the Freedoms, we share with the rest of
the Nation. Updates will be coming.
Nov 13 2018
Bicentennial Mural
Now In Hands Of The
National Park Service
Four years ago, the
public took on the massive resources of the L.A.
Army Corps of Engineers, to preserve the regions historical, Prado Dam
Bicentennial Mural.
Over the next few
months, the National Park Service will be looking to
see if the mural meets their criteria for the National Register of
Historic Places. The Park Service has the final say for Historic
properties. In the meantime, a temporary Federal injunction is
still in place to protect the Mural, after the Army Corps had attempted
to strip it off the Spillway in 2015.
The Army Corps told
the public in 2015, that if we wanted the
Bicentennial Mural to remain on the spillway it was our choice. Sadly
the public's clear choice to keep their mural, was overruled by
the Army Corps announcing a contest to replace it with a mural of their
own choosing. In the meantime, the Army Corps has not replied to our
requests for them to publicly acknowledge and recognize, the public's
clear choice to preserve the Bicentennial Mural on the spillway.
The Bicentennial
Freedom Mural Conservancy (a 501-C3 charity) has been
formed to preserve and maintain the artwork and historic nature of the
Bicentennial Mural.
OUR DEEPEST THANKS FOR THIS GRASS ROOTS
EFFORT GO OUT TO :
The Mural Conservancy
of L.A., the National Trust, the County of
Riverside, the Orange County Water District, the Corona/Norco Unified
School District, the Mayors, Council Members and staff for the Cities
of: Chino Hills, Chino, Eastvale, Norco, and Corona, the Corona
Historic Preservation Society, Congressman Ed Royce, Congressman Ken
Calvert, and the 31,000 petitioners, who have moved mountains to
preserve this historical treasure for present and future generations.
Aug 6 2018
At
this time, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) neither
accepts nor rejects the Army Corps of Engineer's finding that the Prado
Dam Bicentennial Mural is ineligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Rather, in a recent action to move
the process forward, the SHPO has deferred this determination to the
the Keeper of the NRHP in Washington, D.C.
A
National Parks Service official, "the Keeper”has the final authority
for deciding if a property is eligible for listing in the NRHP, a
national inventory of America's historic resources.
The
Friends of the Prado Dam Mural see this as a positive step, and
appreciate your great contribution in helping our state and federal
historic preservation officials understand the importance of the Prado
Dam Bicentennial Mural to the local community and beyond. We will post
additional information, a new timeline, and ways you can continue to
help as soon as this new information is released to us.
Thank you!
2018
Congressman
Ed Royce meeting with Chino Hills City Council Member Cynthia Moran and
the President of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles Eric Bjorgum.
We want to thank Congressman Royce for his efforts to see the Prado Dam
Bicentennial Mural returned to it’s former glory. The Mural is
culturally significant and an historical part of the Prado Basin.
It has and does benefit San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside
Counties. We look forward to working with Congressman Royce and
we will be posting updates as they come in.
As many of you know, on July 5th the California Historical Preservation
Office rejected the Army Corps evaluation that the Bicentennial Mural
is not an Historic Property. The Corps must now re-evaluate their
findings, along with the comments they received from a concerned public.
In the meantime, the injunction by the Honorable Jesus Bernal (Federal
Court Judge) to stop the Corps from stripping the mural will
stand. it’s sad that the graffiti on the mural has yet to be
removed. But we are working to see the mural is properly restored
using environmentally friendly anti-graffiti paint.
May 31, 2018
June
8, 2017
We
are extremely disappointed by this preliminary recommendation, which,
for a variety of reasons, appears to be results-oriented. Most
egregiously, to reach this result, the Army Corps of Engineers had to
find that the Bicentennial was not a significant event. That is
obviously a ridiculous statement. However, there are a few steps
left in this process, so we are still asking for your support.
I’ve worked on many disputes involving murals, and I’ve never seen a
community this organized and unanimous in its support for a piece of
public art. The Bicentennial Freedom Mural is both a patriotic
historical piece and a major landmark. There is a comment period
ending on July 10, during which we would urge you to email the Corps at
pradomuralcomments@usace.army.milto show your support for the
Mural. Ideally,
the lead in the Mural could be encapsulated and the Mural
restored. This would not be difficult. But if that cannot
happen, we would prefer that as much of the Mural be retained as
possible and that the rest be repainted. A final option would be
to repaint the entire Mural as an exact replica, with the oversight of
the original designers, who are still alive. In fact, in an
effort to cut right to the chase, I have made the offer of repainting
to the U.S. Attorney on this case. I await a response. But
the worst scenario would be for the Mural to be removed and replaced
with some unknown contemporary work. The Bicentennial Freedom
Mural is the largest remaining monument to the Bicentennial in
California. It is one of the only such monuments in Southern
California. It is also an example of a style of community art
from a simpler time that will not return. Most importantly, it
holds great significance for thousands of people who grew up with it or
drove by it for decades. We
ask that you continue to show your support for the Bicentennial Freedom
Mural and not give up the fight just yet. It has been a great
honor to be involved with this community on this issue. Thank you for your
support, Eric Bjorgum
In
a letter addressed to the Bicentennial Freedom Mural Conservancy,
Congressman Calvert also stated, "I will continue to convey my support
for the Bicentennial Freedom Mural to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."
We
thank Congressman Calvert for his gracious endorsement of the mural. We
also look forward to the stakeholders working closely with the Army
Corps of Engineers, to determine the appropriate manner in which to
restore the Bicentennial Mural.
There
is still much to work out for this inspiring citizen lead movement. As
soon as we have more information from the L. A. Army Corps of
Engineers, we will keep you posted.
Happy 40th Birthday to The
Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural!
~ June 11th 2016
Press
Release ~
On
May 11th, 2016, the Army Corps of Engineers held a meeting at the Prado
Dam Visitors center to go over the Bicentennial Mural’s eligibility for
the National Register of Historic Places.
The
meeting was a continuation of our interaction with the Army Corps
following the lawsuit we filed last year. Present at the meeting
was our attorney Eric Bjorgum from Karish & Bjorgum in Pasadena,
city and county representatives, public art advocates, an art
restoration specialist, an historical architect, both student designers
of the mural, several of the original student painters and two groups
representing 25,000 petitioners. We believe we left no doubt that the
Mural’s association with the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration showed its
eligibility for the National Register. However, just being on the
Register does not fully protect the mural.
One
of the first questions from attorney Bjorgum was whether the mural
could be restored independent of this process, so that while we are
waiting for the government’s decision, we can go about the work of
making the mural look new. There was no reason given as to why
this
could not happen. Representatives from the cities of Chino and Chino
Hills strongly asked "What are we waiting for?" Why isn't it being
restored now and who do we talk to?” As far as we know, It looks like
the New Commander of the L.A. Corps, Col. Kirk Gibbs, has the full
authority to order the Mural restored now.
July 2016
The
Army Corps of Engineers is currently reviewing the Bicentennial Mural
for the National Register of Historic Places. It's vital while this
process is going on, for the Army Corps to hear clear support for the
Bicentennial Mural from Congressman Ken Calvert.
August 2015
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH FEDERAL COURT GRANTS INJUNCTION
FOR PLANTIFF’S TO PROTECT THE BICENTENNIAL FREEDOM MURAL PENDING TRIAL
U.S. District Court Judge Jesus Bernal ordered the U.S. Army Corps
ofEngineers to do nothing “that could alter, desecrate, destroy or
modify in any way the painted mural ... until this matter is
fullyadjudicated.” He added that, “Given the facts of the case, the
court easily concludes that plaintiffs have shown a high likelihood
ofirreparable harm.”
The public can thank plaintiffs; co-artist Ron Kammeyer, The
MuralConservancy of Los Angeles and Attorney Eric Bjorgum for their
tireless efforts to protect our beloved mural and advocate for it’s
completerestoration! Ron Kammeyer, a Landscape Architecht, has devoted
a great deal of his own time and resources over the years to enjoin the
ArmyCorps of Engineers (ACOE) to allow him to restore the mural. Other
groups such as the Bicentennial Freedom Mural Conservancy (a
committeeof the original CHS faculty & students who painted the
mural), One Way Painting of Orange County and the Boy Scouts of America
have alsooffered their services during the past decade.
We hope this will mark a new beginning where interested parties and
theACOE can work together to restore this iconic and historical mural!
August 2015
We Now
Have Support of All The Surrounding Cities!!!
5 Mayors, 19 City Council Members, 10 Directors, The Corona Norco Unified School
District Along With 20,000 Petitioners, Have Come Together To
Support The Restoration of The Bicentennial Mural!
Our Big Thanks to All Who Helped Us Gain This Support,
Job Well Done!
35 MURAL SUPPORTERS
+
NON-SUPPORTERS
Chino City Council
Mayor Eunice Ulloa
Council Member Denis Yates
Council Member Glenn Duncan
Council Member Earl Elrod
Council Member Tom Haughey
Chino Hills City Council
Mayor Cynthia Moran
Vice Mayor Art Marianne De Ru Bennett
Council Member Ed Graham
Council Member Ray Marquez
Council Member Peter Rogers
Norco City Council
Mayor Herb Higgins
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bash
Council Member Kathy Azevedo
Council Member Berwin Hanna
Council Member Greg Newton
Eastvale City Council
Mayor Ike Bootsma
Mayor Pro Tem William Link
Council member Adam Rush
Council member Joseph Tessari
Corona City Council
Mayor Eugene
Montanez
Vice Mayor Jason Scott
Council Member Karen Spiegel
Council Member Dick Haley
Council Member Randy Fox
Orange County Water District
Directors
Philip Anthony
Denis Bilodeau
Shawn Dewane
Jan Flory
Cathy Green
Dina Nguyen
Roman Reyna
Stephen Sheldon
Harry Sidhu
Roger Yoh
Corona Norco Unified School District
August 2015
~ Latest News ~
Item 1 - Ken Calvert says he supports
the communities consensus!
Item 2 - Please
Contact Col. Kirk E. Gibbs, the new Commander of the L.A. Army Corps of
Engineers at
Gregory.A.Fuderer@usace.army.mil or Linkedin and ask him to
support the mural
restoration! You can copy and paste the text below.
Dear
Col. Gibbs,
Your predecessor, Col. Kim Coloton told 300 mural supporters at the
Corps April 9th meeting, "Your message is passionate and clear." The
Corps has also stated the following. "We have no preference for what
goes on the spillway and that the public interest would determine a new
mural.
We ask you to honor these statements. While there are 20,000 mural
supporters including resolutions from every city that encircles the
mural, there are no other groups or elected officials who publicly
support changing the Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural.
Please end this so called stakeholders committee now and work with the
public to restore this treasured monument.
Thank You
Item 3 - Yet another Trojen Horse - The
Stakeholders Committee!
The Army Corps of Engineers is going ahead with plans to hold a contest
to
replace the mural,
clearly rejecting the public interest and support of the existing
Bicentennial Mural.
They are doing this under the guise of a Stakeholders
meeting. That
means all the surrounding cities and other important entities will
be given a seat at the Stakeholders meeting to state what they want to
see done
with the
Spillway. So far all "Stakeholders" have shown unanimous support
of
Restoration of
the existing Mural. The most important issue of this meeting is
that
the Corps still
has final say and can over ride anything the stakeholders say or
want. This
is just smoke and mirrors to try to get control of the Spillway.
Question is, who is pulling the strings of the Corps?
August 2015
Update - We Have A New Court Date:
Wednesday August 19th, 9am
(Come dressed for court)
June 2015
MCLA
Restoration of Mural
The
photos below were provided by the Mural Conservancy of LA. Proof that
professional mural conservators have the knowledge and expertise to
safely restore treasured art forms to their former glory. The mural
below was restored with cars flying past at 80 MPH!
We ask the Corps to work with us now, to restore our Bicentennial
Mural, a work of art for present and future generations. Why
continue to fight in the courts and attempt to replace the Historic
Bicentennial Mural with one designed by self serving (stakeholders)
committees?
When even the Corps has recognized, that the community has spoken
with a Loud and Clear Voice to keep and preserve the 1976
Bicentennial Mural. Our forces continue to grow as the word gets
out about the mural's possible destruction.
Above is before the restoration, Below
is after the restoration. Amazing!
June 2015
Press
Enterprise has just done another story on the Mural! See article here, don't forget to leave a comment!
Less than 24 hours before the
fading Prado Dam mural was slated for removal, a US District Court
judge issued a restraining order halting any actions at the
bicentennial landmark for at least another month.
June 2015
We Have A Temporary
Restraining Order!
The temporary
restraining order will reveal the Army Corps of Engineers true
motives. If they reject working with the public to see the
Bicentennial mural is brought back to it's former glory, it means one
thing...
It is the Corps intention to replace the
inspirational beauty, history and message of the Bicentennial mural,
for their own PROPAGANDA mural.
We hope this is not the case and that the court will look after the
public interest and that of
The Mural Conservancy and Ron Kammeyer.
It's not over, so keep the petition page rocking and the community
aware, while the suit moves through our judicial system.
The April 9th Meeting to Save the
Mural,
at Corona High School Performing Arts Center,
Felt Like a Complete Success, However...
comments by the Corps gave pause as
to whether our voice would be heard.
The "competing interests" never appeared at the meeting. The
Press Enterprise was there to cover the event, see their article
here. See photos of the event
here.
Less
than 24 hours after the April 9th meeting, the Army Corps of Engineers
posted that they were going forward with their contest for a new mural
design. Clearly our voice didn't matter. Read their News release here.
Please continue to contact your local officials listed further down
this page and let your voice be heard among your representatives in
Washington. Let's not let the Mural down and all those who died
for this Countries 200 plus years of Freedom!
April 10 2015
Last Nights Meeting to Save the
Mural,
at Corona High School Performing Arts Center,
Felt Like a Complete Success!
However, comments by
the Corp gave pause as to whether our voice would be heard.
The "competing interests" never appeared at the meeting. The
Press Enterprise was there to cover the event, see their article
here. See photos of the event
here.
Please
continue to contact your local officials listed further down this page
and let your voice be heard among your representatives in
Washington. Let's not let the Mural down and all those who died
for this Countries 200 plus years of Freedom!
April 2015
March 2015 - Announcement
Our Historical
Landmark, the 1976 Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural, has been slated for
destruction on April 27th. This bombshell came from the L.A. Army
Corps of Engineers without a word of public debate! On April 9th the final blow for the Mural is planned at
Corona High, where local politicians will share they plan to replace it
with a Chamber of Commerce like billboard. The Army Corps. says
the reason for this, is to "balance several 'competing' interests". Our elected officials are supposed to work for the public
interest, not "compete" with it. Below is a list of their quotes,
so you can let them know before April 9th, that if they don't re-think their position on the mural,
you will be re-thinking your support of them next election.
Mar 2015
On April 27
The Army Corps of Engineers Plans to Blast
the Landmark Bicentennial Mural
From the Prado Dam Spillway.
With over 6,000 petition signatures and the support of Cities like
Chino, the Corps has continued on a single course,
to destroy the beloved icon. They have consistently ignored the
public plea to first insure the mural's restoration!
Come and Lend Your
Voice To Protect The Mural
at a meeting by the Corps and Corona City Council Thursday April
9th at 6 p.m.
at the Corona High School Performing Arts Center,
1154 Tenth Street, Corona, 92882.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! For more info click here.
COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JANUARY 20, 2015
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION 2015-006, RECOGNIZING THE FRIENDS
OF PRADO DAM'S EFFORTS TO RESTORE AND SAVE THE PRADO DAM BICENTENNIAL
MURAL.
PAGE 2 BACKGROUND
A piece of Chino Valley's culture and history, the Prado Dam
Bicentennial Mural was designed and completed by local high school
students in May 1976. The student's efforts were supported and aided by
the entire community through the donation of food and supplies. The
combined efforts of everyone involved established this as a true
community project that not only signified our patriotism, but also
displayed the capabilities of our community and the pride that we have
in our country.
ISSUES/ ANALYSIS
As the mural reaches its 40th year of existence, the dilapidating
condition of the mural has
become apparent. A grassroots group known as,
" Friends of Prado Dam," is seeking to work
with the Army Corps of Engineers to restore the mural to its original
condition.
The adoption of this Resolution highlights the heritage of the Prado
Dam Bicentennial Mural and supports its restoration without
compromising the health and safety of the general
public NO. 2015-006
A
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHINO, CALIFORNIA, RECOGNIZING THE PRADO DAM BICENTENNIAL
MURAL
WHEREAS, the Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural was designed and created by
local youth and members of the community in 1976, and has since then,
become a piece of Chino Valley's history that signifies
the community's diligence, work ethic, and patriotic nature;
and
WHEREAS, the Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural is one of the largest
patriotic murals in America, measuring more than half a mile long; and
WHEREAS, the Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural has been a part of
the Chino Valley community for a number of years, and
since its completion, has begun to deteriorate in its
appearance and condition; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that the City Council of the City of Chino, California does hereby
recognize the heritage of Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural and hopes it may
be feasibly restored to its former glory without compromising the
health and safety of the general public.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 20th day of January, 2015
Dec 20, 2014
Interview With The Mayor of
Corona
Today Mayor of Corona Eugene Montanez was gracious enough to speak to
me about the Prado Dam Mural. Last night at a City Council
meeting he mentioned, the council had met With the Army Corps of
Engineers this week and they seemed to be committed to the removal of
the mural come March 2015. They also said they are possibly
having a contest between local schools to come up with new design ideas.
So after decades of neglect, the week they get our petition and the
Press Enterprise does a front page story they take action.
When I said the Historic value of the mural has not been looked at, he
said it had only been there 20 to 25 years, I told him it had been
their nearly 40 years. He then said it was illegally put on the
spillway overnight. I wasn't sure if this was an oversight
on his part as the conversation was robust, but I assured him a 1/4
mile long mural could not have been put up over night. And that the
students had permission from the Corps, for the Bicentennial. He
then told me the Dam was the property of the Corps and they have been
working for years to put up a new mural. Well the Dam is actually
the property of the government of the people and by the people, and no
one asked us.
A few months ago they were going to strip it with no future plans, then
they said they were going to do something, then last week they said
they would decide a new mural by Committee, now this week they say it
will be a contest for kids.
So what's wrong with the the current mural? Would anyone dynamite
Mt. Rushmore to update it with President Obama's head? It's
disturbing to note that it looks like not one politician in the valley
has argued on behalf of the people, why this important part of
the public square is not being restored. And let's get this
right, it can be stripped and repainted and called a restoration.
We've waited decades for this.
Respectively we want to work with the Corps and Congressman Calvert on
this important issue, this is why we've submitted the petition.
We all know if it's designed by committee (even if they use kids) it is
destined to be political. As no politicians have spoken for the
peoples mural in these closed door meetings, we humbly request to be
part of the real dialog to convey the historical significance and heart
felt love the community has for the mural. Because without this,
the trust of the people has been broken.
Dec 15, 2014
Recap Of What Has Happened To
Date
(1) Over the years organizations like the Boy Scouts have
asked the Army Corps Of Engineers to be allowed to access the
Prado Dam Spillway, in order to upkeep the the 1976 Bicentennial Mural.
(2) All requests were turned down, on the claim of lead in
the paint. The Corps policy was to not disturb it and to allow it
to slowly peel off because of the hazard it posed.
(3) When asked if there was a file on the testing for lead paint
and what parts of the Mural had lead in it, they responded that a new
test was being done. They claimed it showed lead, but when asked
where lead was found, on the old graffiti on the spillway or the mural,
the question was never answered.
(4) Though lead paint has been safely removed from structures for
years, it is only now after decades of intentional neglect the
Corps has decided to water jet off the mural come September 2015.
(5) The disturbing fact here is the Corps removal the Mural
without it being a restoration project. They stated on August 6 "
future plans for the spillway were undetermined" So what that
means is without any public hearings, the Bicentennial Mural has been
successfully wiped out for all time along with undermining any future
restoration possibilities. Because any new stroke of a paint
brush on that spillway would mean dozens of permits and approvals by
their committees.
(6) We then sent out a petition to all the local
politicians in the area. The petition simply asked that any
removal of the mural be linked with it's vintage
restoration. Not one of your local politicians signed it,
or ever got back to us again.
(7) We then contacted Congressman Ken Calvert, who resides on a
subcommittee that overseas the Corps. After two months of working
with his office to get the Corps to at least state they are committed
to vintage restoration of the Mural or not. All we got was
"Congressman Calvert will do whatever he can in his power to keep a
mural on the dam". "A Mural" means "their" mural. That's
right, they've planned their own mural.
(8) With so many people leaving comments on Friends of the Prado
Dam Mural web site, along with our Facebook page, the next step was to
create a petition. That's exactly what we did. However this
time we recognized the only way to avoid "their" well laid plan was to
go around them with volunteers like the Class of 76 did.
(9) However on October 15, 2014 at a conference Col. Kimberly
Colloton of the Corps, stated she understands the public’s desire to
have a mural on the spillway, whether a repainting of the previous
mural or a new design. She announced the Corps will work with the
public and Rep. Ken Calvert to determine an appropriate mural in the
near future. This statement has turned out to be a lie.
(10) On November 20th when petition signatures began to be sent
from Change.org, directly to Rep. Calverts office and the Corps.
something strange happened. Phone calls were made and meetings
held before the completed petition could arrive. It must be
embarrassing for the Corps, to answer "why", after allowing the Mural
to deteriorate over the last 20 years, it suddenly and arbitrarily
mandates the mural to be replaced at the very moment a petition arrives
that would allow for volunteers to repaint the original Bicentennial
mural, without government red tape, or interference.
Dec 11 2014
Update : Your Petitions Were
Delivered!
Today your
petitions have been hand delivered to Rep. Ken Calvert's
and to the offices of the Army Corp's of Engineers.
We also want to thank Press
Enterprise Staff Writer, Peter Fischetti, for his outstanding Cover
story profiling our petition to save the Prado Dam Mural.
Please
click this link to see the article
With no public
debate to ensure the protection and restoration of the Prado Dam
Mural. The Army Corps of Engineers has decided to permanently
remove the largest patriotic mural in America, come Spring of 2015.
The Corps is overreaching their authority with their attempt to destroy
this Historically significant Icon of the community and the
Country. Clearly the reason there was never a commission
appointed to study the importance of the mural, or even a public
debate, is because the public would never have stood for the
destruction of this iconic part of the public square.
By undercutting the restoration processes in this way, the Corps says
the only way to get a new mural is to:
1. Go through the Corps representatives,
2. Elected officials,
3. Community special interest groups,
4. Ecology groups, and
5. Last, and LEAST you the public.
Such a commission would trade the 1976 mural, for a fresh billboard to
hand out political favors to powerful special interest groups and self
serving organizations.
Why hasn't a single politician in the area gone on record to support a
vintage restoration of the mural? Now is the time to take them to
task. If they are not in support of this petition, then they are
in agreement with special interest groups to destroy this precious
legacy of inspiration given to us not by their commissions, but by High
School Students, you know, "the people".
It's up to you to contact your representatives, T.V. stations, Radio,
News Papers, Blogs and obtain legal resources in order to assure the
Army Corps of Engineers approves your petition to bypass their
commissions and guarantee the vintage restoration of the existing Prado
Dam Bicentennial Mural.
Thank You,
Friends Of The Prado Dam Mural.com
If you wish to
log a complaint about the slated destruction of the existing
mural, please contact the people below.
Greg Fuderer - Senior Public Affairs
Specialist Army Corp of Engineers.
Gregory.A.Fuderer@usace.army.mil
213-479-8698
Col. Kimberly
Colloton
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
915 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Questions: 213-452-3333
Congressman Ken
Calverts Office
4160 Temescal Canyon Rd., Ste. 214
Corona, CA 92883
Phone: 951-277-0042
Jason Gagnon Communications Director
Jason.Gagnon@mail.house.gov
August 26, 2014
We Have Been in Contact With Congressman Calvert's Office.
Congressman Calvert gave a quick and detailed response to our
requests for information to date. It's good to hear that the
Corps is "planning" to do "something", however this language
along with their statement that they intend to "include and engage with
the community in developing the new mural" offers a vague and
inadequate status of the restoration - concerning the removal
of an historical landmark of such significance.
To our knowledge, and it needs to be clearly noted, that the Corps has
thus far not offered a plain statement of their commitment
to the "total restoration of the Prado Dam bicentennial
mural". It is further understood that the removal of the mural
could commence in thirty days. So time is of the essence.
Our concern is that there is no real plan of
restoration attached to the current plan of removal. We and many
concerned citizens want to see this precious meaningful landmark
restored and believe without a plan in place, that there will be
no processes for restoration.
We humbly request you once again reach out to the Corps to
secure a clearly defined "commitment" from them, to
alleviate any misunderstandings concerning nothing less than a
full restoration of the Mural. Or to understand better
the intentions of the Corps concerning the Mural.
August 22, 2014
Request of the Orange County
Flood Control District
Raising the Dam means higher flood waters. So the Orange County
Flood Control District needs to purchase some 2,000 acres of land from
240 owners behind the Dam. After this process is complete, the
second process of the Corps raising the spillway begins. It is
only then the spillway can be raised. Then according to the Corps. they
will then look at a possible Mural. This process could take 5 to
10 years each? So we have a call into the Flood District to see
about getting a realistic number for their accusation of the properties.
Will The Prado Dam Mural be Lost?
At any time in theses next 12
months, the Army Corps of Engineers - who own and operate the Dam -
will strip off the 37 year old icon.
After months of stalling all requests to commit to restore the largest
patriotic mural in America, it looks as though the Army Corps. Of
Engineers have their reasons. As you can see from their official
statements below, it's to paint an entirely new mural of their own
choosing. No doubt, every special interest and political favor
would go into creating the hollowed out shadow of it's former
splendor. Surely painted by some overpaid artist and dedicated
with all the fanfare needed to justify it.
The original beloved mural was designed and painted by Corona High
School students in 1976 to commemorate the bicentennial of this
Country. It's 1776 - 1976 numbers, painted with the stars
and stripes, dramatically rise 100 feet along the dams 2,000 foot long
spill way. (See photo top left.) If the lead paint on the
spillway is an issue, it may make sense for the Corp. to remove
it. (They have done an excellent job in the expansion of
the Prado Dam, which will save countless lives along with
billions of dollars in property damage in the event of a two hundred
year storm. A job well done.)
However, once the public is informed of the Corp's plan, they reject
it. We the public have been led on for years, trusting the lead
paint was the only thing keeping the mural from being repainted.
Call the Mural our legacy, our Memorial to future generations, our
inspiration to all Americans and future Immigrants, call it what you
will it belongs to the people. No one asked for a change,
can you imagine New Yorkers allowing the Statute Of Liberty to be
"upgraded" during renovation or modernizing the White House with a
beige stucco? Who at the Corps., is willing to step forward and
tell the public, I think a 2,000 foot long tribute to the bicentennial
painted in Red White an Blue with the words "200 Years Of
Freedom" on it, is old, stale and needs to be discounted?
The Murals an inspiration that continues to uplift us through good
times and bad. Being painted by High School students makes it
more patriotic and more precious than any modernization. It was
painted "By The People For The People!"
We're only 10 years away from it being a protected historical
monument. Lets protect it now! We can do this America.
The Following Statements Are From The
Corps:
August 06 - 2014: Senior Public Affairs Specialist
: "Any plan for follow-on actions regarding
repainting of the
spillway are undetermined at this time".
August 18 - 2014: "The Corps is planning on doing "something" with the face of the spillway after
removing the current
mural, however, the raising of the Prado spillway is an issue.
August 18 - 2014: "The Corps has also confirmed to us that they
intend to include and engage with the
community in developing the new mural."
August 18 - 2014: They did not want to paint a new mural until the construction was complete
so that
they would not have to protect that area (which
could be costly).
Statement from Congressman Ken Calbert
Corona CA.:
October 3 - 2014: Congressman Calvert will do whatever he can in
his power to keep
a mural on the dam
after the construction work is done.
The question is, "What mural and what will it commemorate if not the
foundation of this nation?"
So What Can We Do?
What about a Petition?
There has been an overwhelming response on the Press Enterprise and
other comment pages for a petition. We have spoken with many of
you about how and to whom it may be addressed.
(1) Congressman Calvert of Corona, CA. stated to the Press
Telegram that his committee has jurisdiction over the Army Corps.
When the time comes to make a decision, he said, "replacing the mural
"will be approved, but with no promises.
(2) The Army Corps. says they have the power to remove the mural,
but has not responded to our request to commit to a full restoration of
the Mural. But they have not said no to it either.
(3) We see no reason to defer to Sub Committees, Appropriation
Committees, guarantees of no promises and the silence of the Corps.,
when this is a Vintage restoration project that can be funded, executed
and maintained by the community, working with the Corps. A
community restoration project is what the government has alluded to
with each inquiry for 20 years now and our petition is going to hold
them to it. The Petition will be sent to the top officials at The
Army Corps Of Engineers and Congressman Calvert.
(4) Give us a couple more days to secure an electronic petition,
and please call us with any help you can provide. Including
writing the petition to suggestions of a good petition platform.
Any help is important.
"Wounds
leave Scars - That's why Good Deed's need Monuments"
