Closure of Museum Way for 'Forever Marilyn' a waste of Measure J funds

On Thursday, during the Palm Springs City Council meeting, the city will hold a public hearing on the permanent closure of Museum Way for the "Forever Marilyn" statue.

You might recall that the city used Measure J tax funds not only to purchase the property for Museum Way from Grit Development, but those funds were also used to build Museum Way, which at that time was deemed necessary and important to provide an unobstructed view corridor to the Palm Springs Art Museum. If the street is closed, it’s a waste of public funds.

The process that has led us to this point has been corrupted by a city council beholden to special interest groups, in particular PS Resorts, which is funded by city temporary occupancy tax “grants,” and Grit Development, John Wessman’s former company.

I started CReMa: Committee to Relocate Marilyn, with others who believe the iconic mid-century architecture of Palm Springs is one of the most important drivers of tourism in our city. We object to the placement of the Marilyn statue in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum, a Palm Springs Class 1 historic site also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We do not object to the statue itself – a tourist attraction that should be placed elsewhere.

The official street vacation is a step the city neglected to take three-and-a-half years ago, which resulted in the Court of Appeals ruling the “temporary” street closure illegal. Unfortunately, the ruling was returned to the lower court for a remedy, and the judge in the lower court seems unwilling to compel the city to do anything about it.

The city is now playing catch up. This public hearing is one of the steps to officially vacate the street, and an opportunity to speak to the council directly and have your comments on the public record. Naturally, it’s happening in the heat of summer when many people are not in town, and it’s the last item on the agenda.

Measure J will be back on the ballot for renewal this November. Why should we vote yes when the city has misused taxpayer funds to buy the land for, and to build, a street they now want to close?

Trina Turk is a local resident, entrepreneur and community advocate. She can be reached at cremapalmsprings@gmail.com