Atlantic Power Corp. has offered to cover the cost of replacing the cow boss statue that used to stand above the Stampede Grounds in Williams Lake.
Earlier this year the wooden statue was removed by public works because it was rotting and beyond repair.
City council explored options and learned it would cost about $15,000 to have a new one made by local carver Ken Sheen who carved the original cow boss, bull rider and mountain racer statues in Williams Lake.
During the city council meeting Tuesday, Oct. 6, council voted unanimously in favour of accepting the donation from Atlantic Power of up to $15,000 toward the replacement statue, with work to be started on it as soon as possible.
Mayor Walt Cobb also said he would like to see a plaque acknowledging the donation and that representatives from the company attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony when the new statue is unveiled.
Frankie Nelson, business manager of Atlantic Power Corporation, said the they were following the Tribune’s articles on the cow boss statue, and once they saw that the City had to defer the decision to replace it due to funding, the company looked at it as an opportunity to step forward to ensure that the ‘iconic’ statue could be replaced.
“We look forward to seeing the statue completed and placed back in its rightful place,” Nelson said.
The original cow boss statue was installed approximately 15 years ago.
Sheen told the Tribune in July he would want to carve a new one out of cedar.
The City confirmed Thursday, he has already sourced an old growth cedar log that he will carve over the next few months.
The original cow boss statue and the bull rider were both built out of local lumber, at it was bug-kill pine laminated together.
Read more: Williams Lake cow boss statue replacement options explored
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