GEORGE R. JENNINGS JR.

First, dear County Councilors, thank you for standing your ground on the new roundabout at Central and Trinity. It showed loyalty to our commuters. It was the right and thoughtful thing to do.

Second, this is about a plea – a recommendation – for utilizing the space in the center of the new roundabout.

The question to be asked is, What do we want people to know about Los Alamos as they enter (or leave) the town?

The recommendation is this: We want them to know that this town was central to building the weapon that ended WWII and put up the nuclear umbrella, which has preserved world peace from then until now.

And how? By placing in the center of that roundabout some artifact central to the mission of our town. Something(s) that unmistakably points to the Great things, which have happened here and are still happening here and how important they are to the nation and the world. 

It should be big, and inspire the imagination of all who enter this town concerning the greatness of our past and of our future. Several Cruise Missiles would be good! Or a missile launching pad with missiles, etc. Google something like “rockets used to deliver nuclear weapons” and click “Images” for some great ideas.

So this is no Art in Public Places ponderosa pine tree (I love ’em but they don’t tell our story), or elk or map of the Pajarito Plateau. Nope – it needs to be a Great Message of what this town was and is about! As well as – the Gateway to three great National Parks facilities, unforgettable and central about who we are. 

Maybe have a contest or something to get ideas about the Town where Discoveries Were and Are Made. Perhaps there could be several big displays, one to each side of the roundabout and one in the middle. But the one in the middle needs to be about the Greatness of Los Alamos’ contribution to world peace.

This is worth spending money on. This is worth doing very right. And this will symbolize what we are about, and what you this County Council are about.