Donations In To Repair Terry

Wednesday, October 03, 2007 04:00 AM

On the heels of the recent Terry Fox Run, the merchants of Spruceland Mall have donated $5000 to the restoration of the Terry Fox statue in Community Foundation Park. The statue had been vandalized in late June.

(photo at left shows damage to the statue, photo-Opinion250 archive)

Prince George City Council has opted to have the statue recast in fibreglass at a cost of $5-$6,000 dollars. The amount was to come from the City's Publc Art Reserves.

The donation by the Spruceland merchants will nearly cover the full cost of that recast.

"We recognize the importance that this monument holds for the City of Prince George and the significant contribution Terry Fox made to Canada and Cancer Research," says Loralee Clarke, Director of Operations, Bentall Retail Services. "Spruceland Mall Merchants are honoured to be able to participate and support this community effort." BRS manages and leases Spruceland Mall for its owners.

"On behalf of my Council colleagues, I am delighted to learn of the support to restore the Terry Fox statue through these generous donations," says Mayor Colin Kinsley. "This is yet another fine example of the spirit in our community and the commitment of our local merchants."

"I was surprised and saddened when I first heard of the damage" says Dick Voneugen, member of the Terry Fox Memorial Committee. "However, I am delighted by the generosity of the community to replace the memorial".

The statue will be replaced and the area landscaped and enhanced to deter further vandalism. The location of the statue was the start/finish line for the 17 mile ‘Boston to Prince George Marathon’ (now the Labour Day Classic). In 1979 several months before Terry Fox ran his Marathon of Hope, he ran this race as a trial for his cross country run. It was then that he first publicly announced his intentions.

The RCMP have not been able to determine who was responsible for the damage.

The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the vandalism is now $3,000.

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Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 04:00 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Lindylou on October 3 2007 5:58 AM

Hats off to the Spruceland merchants.

Posted by: opinionated on October 3 2007 12:49 PM

We live in a wonderful community with such kind, generous folks.

Posted by: Chester on October 3 2007 5:55 PM

Yes we do. Thank you to all the generous hearts in this city who continue to step up to the plate when a need arises. Chester

Posted by: seamutt on October 3 2007 7:36 PM

They are going to put the statue back up in the middle of skid row-Hello!

Posted by: Harbinger on October 3 2007 8:21 PM

$5000 bucks? Maybe the vandals should get their asses kicked 5000 times.

Posted by: dgdiggler on October 4 2007 12:10 AM

I see none of the money came from downtown merchants, and all came from the spruceland mall merchants. The downtown merchants complain about business leaving the downtown or being drawn away from it but don't feel the need to contribute to its maintenance.