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Sandspit Chamber wants to give away fish sculpture

The Sandspit Chamber of Commerce can't afford to pay the insurance on the coho sculpture at the airport any longer and has appealed to Moresby Island Management Committee to take over the responsibility. President of the Chamber Carol Wagner presented two options to the committee on Jan. 10: the chamber could donate the sculpture to the airport or to the community. She'd like to see the sculpture donated to the community and then moved to the harbour, which would eliminate the need for paying insurance. The $80,000 sculpture was designed so it could be moved, she said. If donated to the airport, she worries that as the work of art deteriorates over the years the airport may just "bulldoze it." Committee member Duane Gould said he liked the sculpture where it was and thought it was well-visited by people waiting for flights at the airport. Ms Wagner said most people who go to the airport also pass the harbour, which is getting more and more popular. She suggested people on buses could persuade the driver to stop at the Coho. She says the idea from the start was that the sculpture belong to the community. The chamber, which is down to two members, can not fundraise for it, as they are not a society. In other news about the Coho, one committee member asked if Lon Sharp, the artist who created the copper and cedar sculpture, was ever paid in full. Ms Wagner said not yet, but she is planning to make the last payment herself as a loan to the Chamber. Regional district director Travis Glasman said he thought the sculpture should go to the community and MIMC could decide later whether it should be moved. He also said he would check to see if the sculpture is or can be covered by the Regional District's existing insurance policy. The committee passed a motion requesting the chamber donate the sculpture to the community.