Because of the staggering response from supporters of the Prado Dam mural, over 5,000 signatures have now been collected to save the beloved icon. However, our petition has fallen on deaf ears. Neither The Army Corps of Engineers or Congressman Calvert have responded to this united outpouring to ensure the mural's place on the spillway. So with only days to go before Oneida Integrated Enterprises of Ventura CA is scheduled to strip the mural, we are working with an attorney, the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles and Ron Kammeyer, the original artist to save the mural. We have sent out a demand letter requesting that the government allow testing of the mural and confirming that it will not be destroyed until possible restoration is absolutely ruled out. If necessary, we will file suit and seek an injunction in Federal Court. The Mural Conservancy has just brought back the 30 year old Olympic Murals along the 101 freeway in LA. Right now they see no reason the Prado Dam Mural can’t be saved. Our attorney has sued the U.S. government before and obtained a record settlement for a mural destroyed in Los Angeles, but we are hoping the Bicentennial mural can be saved before anything like that happens. Our attorney tells us that after having done several cases like this, he has never seen a community so organized from the get-go to save a piece of public art and do the right thing before the damage is done. The Spirit of 76 is alive and well in all of us! This week we will also be releasing a short film to document the history of the Prado Dam Mural and enlighten the public to its current situation. We need to come together in the next 6 days, while our demand letter is in the hands of the Corps. We need to contact the "press" Newspapers, Web Blogs, community news letters and Magazines. The press gets interested in a story when they receive multiple inquiries. It may be best to stick with Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. We also have numbers below for contacting the Corps. Let's all work together like those kids in 1976 and save this monument for future generations. We were just informed the Chino City Council passed a resolution, that the bicentennial Mural be restored to it's former glory, this is a great boost for the mural So feel free to find other contacts at the Corps, such as Contacting the Commandant or any ideas that my help. Corps Spokesman
Gregory.A.Fuderer@usace.army.mil213-479-8698
Col. Kimberly CollotonU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District915 Wilshire Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90017Questions: 213-452-333 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