You may have heard or read in these pages that there is a plan to build a statue of Brother Asaiah and to anchor it to the top of the rock at WKFL Park.

Some folks think this is a great idea, and that the park is the right place for it. 

Others are not so sure Brother Asaiah would have been happy about a statue of himself at all, anywhere. 

If there must be a statue, perhaps there are more suitable places to put it than the increasingly cramped little park that he explicitly did not want named for him. The garden at the museum comes to mind, as does the library, which he was very proud of. Out amidst the tall Fox River grass of the old Barefooter homestead at the head of the bay is another possibility.

There are other, perhaps more useful and effective ways to honor and memorialize our dear departed friend than a statue, such as an endowed lecture series or a student scholarship.

The Public Arts Committee is holding a public hearing to discuss the statue at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 in City Council Chambers. There also may be a Coffeetable discussion on KBBI on Wednesday.

If you have an opinion, these are your opportunities to express them. 

Ken Landfield