Plans for a tomcat statue at East Aurora High School’s new stadium are up in the air after a picture of work underway depicted a project that was “not what we thought we would be getting,” according to a school board member.
Administrators and a district attorney are still working to clarify options for the statue, said East Aurora School District 131 board member Ken Darby, who oversees the committee handling the project. But he said it could come down to paying for the materials and work done so far and getting it into district hands.
“I don’t want to say cut our losses, because (a deposit of) $11,000 is $11,000 and I can’t just let that go,” he said. “But if we can at least get our materials, and maybe our welding class at the high school could do something with it.”
An April estimate from the sculptor described the statue as a four-foot high, stainless steel “abstract” rendering of the high school’s mascot, the tomcat, set to be mounted on a four-foot high base. Football coach Kurt Becker said in the spring it was planned for the entrance to the new stadium, which was completed over the summer and part of other large-scale construction that remains underway at East Aurora High School.
School board members in May approved fronting an $11,000 deposit for the sculpture, planning for the money to be refunded by donations that were expected to cover the cost. So far, East Aurora has no donations in hand for the statue, spokesman Tom Jackson said. An alumni class has expressed interest in donating, but Jackson put the contribution on hold until plans for the tomcat are finalized, he said.
The board received a rendering of the proposed tomcat when the deposit was approved, and later another picture of the artist’s work so far, Darby said. The second picture did not depict the statue board members thought they had approved and they asked to stop work on it, he said.
At an August school board meeting, board president Annette Johnson said it appeared no one liked what she called the “controversial tomcat statue.” Board member Dan Barreiro said it might be fine “as an art piece,” but not as a mascot.
The estimate from the sculptor also listed plans for an octagonal fire cauldron to house an eternal flame and a base for the cauldron. Becker said previously the eternal flame had been planned as part of a proposed veterans memorial.
Jackson said he was not aware of any donations for the eternal flame, either.
Darby said the board needed to be “cautious” with their money. Members want to stay as close to budgeted construction numbers as possible, he said.
“We just gotta watch what we’re doing,” he said.
