I’m not sure I understand why who pays to paint these tanks would be any more of an issue than who pays to paint Dan’s house or who pays to paint Gary’s laundromat.  All three are private property.  If the paint on my neighbor’s house starts peeling, then yes, it’s ugly and a blight on the neighborhood, but it’s still my neighbor’s responsibility to either repaint it or not repaint it, which is his choice because he’s the property owner.  If he wants to go to some art group and tells them “hey, you can use my house as a giant canvas” then he’s free to do that.  Seems like this is a great way for Sprague to get his tanks repainted without having to pay for it himself.  If the paint peels in a few years, he can either get the art group to come back and repaint the tanks, or can he repaint them himself, or he can just let it peel and look ugly.  I don’t see how we as taxpayers/neighbors would be involved at all.

No, Taxpayer2, I did not imply taxpayers’ money would be used. I just raised the question of “who is going to pay to repaint them.”  Frankly, I don’t know who is paying to paint the tanks now, much less venture a guess as to who will maintain the art. I think it’s good to discuss, thought, because I think it is an issue that people need to be concerned about.

I’ll tell you who really pays, Maine artists.  As Jeanne Maginnis hussles around diverting money to her vanity project, creative people lose opportunities to get funding for their work.  Imagine all the young Mainers who could have used the million dollars for scholarships.

I was just saying that at some point in the future it’s a good bet that tax payers money will be used to cover it up if it needs to be for some reason.  I have no idea if any was used to paint it in the first place.  I certainly hope not!

I think it was on the Press Herald site a few days ago that people were talking about it being a waste of tax dollars.  That’s what I was referring to.

Dan, didn’t YOU bring up taxpayer money?  That was the implied message in your first posting and the stated message in your second. Unless Gary was suggesting that you and he personally take donations to pay for painting, I think that was his reading of it too.

Sorry, Sean, but I do not see anyone bringing up taxpayer money. My concern is that if they do not have money to paint them now, and have to raise more money, what happens when the new paint job become an eyesore in the future? I sure hope taxpayer money is not going for this project.

I remember when, many years ago, there was a contest held to gather ideas on how to do something about the tank farm over by the high school. A student came up with the idea of planting trees along Evans Street to block the view. Simple solutions to ugly problems are sometimes the best.

These tanks are privately owned.  I don’t really understand why some people are concerned that taxpayers will be forced to foot the bill for repainting them at some point.  Am I missing something?

All about helping the Maine economy eh?  The painting contractor is from Massachusetts, though the Maine Center for Creativity wants you to know they have an office in Portland.  I can’t find a listing for the company in the phone book, hmmm.  The artist is from Venezuela, hand selected by a judging panel loaded with conlficts of interest, including a judge who actually represents Jamie Gili.  Yet the press continues to give this project a free pass.  On a lighter note, the Maine Center for Creativity Oil Tank theme song can be seen here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkL8CSfwsBo How do you paint a “whole rain forest” anyway?

It will probably be me and you.  And you are right, there will be no missing them now.