PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — A large sculpture reading "I ❤️ PW" in block letters now stands at Coal Dock Park in Port Washington — and while the piece has been drawing visitors and sparking conversation since its installation, it is the $100,000 donation behind it that has ignited the sharpest debate.
WATCH: Port Washington neighbors react to sculpture by former data center developer
The sculpture was funded by Cloverleaf Infrastructure, the original developer behind the hyperscale data center project that was later transferred to Vantage. For some who visit the lakefront regularly, the funding source overshadows the artwork itself.
Erin Ede, who lives just outside Port Washington but visits the lakefront daily, said she actually likes the sculpture's design — but not what it represents.
"The amount of money that they are spending on that could have went to the farmers in the area who were disrupted," Ede said. "It seems more PR than doing something environmental or for the residents of the area."
Online, many commenters have likened the sculpture to tourist slop and criticized its similarity to generic public art installations found across the country.
Not everyone shares that view. Bruce Lorge, a Port Washington native whose family once worked at the power plant when Coal Dock Park was still an active unloading zone, is one of many who have stopped to take a selfie with the new piece.
"I liked it. I tried to take my picture, a selfie," Lorge said. "I do love Port Washington. I was born and raised here."
Cloverleaf Infrastructure did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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