By J.B. Fitzsimmons | Gloucester Correspondent
GLOUCESTER — In a 7-2 vote Tuesday night, the Gloucester City Council approved a $666,000 loan order to fund the design and installation of a bronze statue of the late heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne, to be placed in Grant Circle at the entrance to Gloucester.
The move comes just hours after Osbourne’s passing at the age of 76, which prompted what Councilor at Large Jason Grow described as “a spiritual and cultural call to action.”
The statue, which will reportedly depict Ozzy mid-howl, will face towards the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge, “guiding the lost and riffless toward downtown Gloucester.”
“This is about legacy,” said Ward 3 Councilor Marjorie Grace, whose district covers Grant Circle. “Ozzy’s body may be gone, but his spirit will live on — forever trapped in traffic.”
The loan, approved under the city’s Art & Cultural Enhancement Strategic Plan, includes $18,000 earmarked for fog machines, red uplighting, and a 24-hour speaker that will play a loop of “Crazy Train” and other hits at a volume described as “respectfully disruptive.”
Councilors Val Gilman and Jeff Worthley cast the two no votes, in what is apparently the only thing they can agree on.
The council’s decision has divided residents.
“I think it’s a beautiful tribute,” said Whittemore Street resident Gina Favazza. “My mother prayed to St. Anthony. I pray to Ozzy. Different saints, same chaos.”
Others were less enthusiastic.
“Why not a statue of a fisherman, or a seagull, or something local?” asked Poplar Street resident Joe Dombrowski. “Ozzy never even came to Gloucester. The closest he got was Salem in 2005, and he left early because someone threw a frappe at Sharon.”
Despite objections, the project is set to break ground in early September. The installation will include signage for a small parking area at Cape Ann Plaza for “pilgrims of metal,” a commemorative plaque etched with lyrics from No More Tears, and a bat-shaped time capsule to be opened in 2085.
A city press release emphasized that the statue will be “cast in bronze, tuned in drop D, and dedicated to the Prince of Darkness, whose music brought light to millions.”
“Grant Circle has long lacked a defining landmark,” said Mayor Greg Verga in a prepared statement. “Thanks to the council’s decisive vote and a suspiciously on-the-nose loan amount, we will finally have a figure to howl over the rotary.”
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