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Vernal residents raise money for iconic dinosaur statue repairs

The famous "T-Rex" statue in Vernal, Utah.
Photo by GoFundMe
The famous "T-Rex" statue in Vernal, Utah.

Vernal’s iconic dinosaur statue has been a huge landmark for the city for more than 50 years and now a fundraising campaign is underway to save and repair it.

The “T-Rex” statue was first designed and built by George Millecam in 1969 outside of his local business, the Dine-A-Ville motel. Since then, the statue has fallen into disrepair according to the Vernal City website, saying it needs to be resurfaced and painted.

The city recently opened a survey focusing on what should be done with the dinosaur statue and says that most of the respondents want to repair the iconic dinosaur. With both the public having a willingness to donate to the effort and the city council supporting their decision, “Project Save T-Rex” was launched.

A GoFundMe page was set up last week for the project in order to raise the necessary funds needed for restoration with the end goal being $30,000. After just four days, more than $10,000 has already been raised.

Funds from the GoFundMe page will go to Charitable Friends of Ashley Valley, a registered nonprofit organization. The page also says that if donations exceed the goal, remaining funds will be used for landscaping on T-Rex’s island and for improved safety measures.

Jared Gereau is pursuing a Journalism major with an emphasis in Social Media at Utah State University. He is planning on using his experience to pursue a career with USU Athletics sometime after he graduates. In his free time, Jared enjoys watching movies, playing games and creating content for his YouTube channel.