By Neil Farrell

A local non-profit group is very close to asking for a permit to install a major public artwork near Morro Rock, overlooking the harbor entrance, and paying tribute to fishing families.
According to Susan Maharry of Central Coast Women for Fisheries, they are awaiting completion of site plans to submit to the City of Morro Bay for a conditional use permit and must also get a coastal development permit from the Coastal Commission for the installation.
The City Council recently waived all permit fees for the artwork, which will depict a fisherman’s wife, and children gazing out to sea honoring “Those Who Wait” behind as their husbands and fathers venture to sea.
The artist, Elizabeth MacQueen (see: www.macqueenfineart.com), shipped the three bronze statues out a couple of months ago and they sit in storage awaiting the completion of a concrete slab and granite pedestals that will be built in the parking lot near Target Rock.
The City, she said, will place boulders around the artwork to protect it from cars and while it will be open for picture taking, the group doesn’t really want people climbing all over them. They plan some sort of signage to address the issue, she said.
It’s been a long, hard road for fundraising for the project, as the group sold albacore enchiladas, manned booths at the Avocado and Margarita Festival, solicited donations from the public and in perhaps its most public effort, was adopted by the Morro Bay 50th Anniversary Committee for funding.
Donations are still needed to put them over the top and can be sent to: CCWF, 785 Quintana Road, No. 106, Morro Bay, CA 93442.
And there’s still a chance to get your name, business name or the name of a loved one who has passed (your choice) on a donors display. “We are still taking names for sponsors,” Maharry said. “With a $200 donation, a person can have their name or whatever they prefer [25 characters or less] etched into the granite slabs along with other sponsor names, that will surround the concrete base. This has been an excellent fundraiser for us.”
Applications can be found on the CCWF website, see: www.womenforfish.org or email Maharry at: or call 801-8480.
In the photo is the bronze statue of the mother, one of three in the piece.