James Cash Penney statue on the horizon

Mysti Willmon, Gazette Editor
Posted 1/27/21

The J.C. Penney statue is coming to Kemmerer.

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James Cash Penney statue on the horizon

Posted

On Saturday, Jan. 16, the Kemmerer City Council gathered for a special meeting to discuss a proposal to transport the J.C. Penney statue donated by the J.C. Penney Corporation.

In December 2020, the Kemmerer City Council was contacted by the J.C. Penney Corporation for donation of a 7-foot bronze statue of J.C. Penney. As part of their bankruptcy and sale, their headquarters was moved to a different location. However, the new location doesn’t have room for the statue and other elements that were in the Texas location. The council voted to accept the statue and paid a company to dismantle and store the statue, desk, and plaques involved in the donation. Since then, the council has been researching and discussing ways to transport the statue from Texas to Kemmerer.

On Jan. 16, the council received a proposal from local contractor Vivianos Concrete. The company is currently in Texas and offered to transport the statue up to Kemmerer on their way back. The council agreed to pay for transportation not to exceed $3,000, according to City Administrator Brian Muir.

“It saves us money and saves us from going both to and from Texas,” Muir said.

The statue should arrive in Kemmerer by the end of the month, according to Muir.