( CNN ) Too little , too late . That 's the mayor 's response to an artist 's apology and offer to cover the cost of fixing the `` Scary Lucy '' statue that has put the New York town of Celoron in the spotlight this week . The bronze figure of comedian and area native Lucille Ball has elicited comparisons to a `` Walking Dead '' zombie and inspired the Facebook campaign `` We Love Lucy ! Get Rid of this Statue . '' The sculpture , a gift to the town from its original owners , has been on display since 2009 . Artist Dave Poulin has `` had plenty of opportunity to step forward , and our last conversation he wanted $ 8,000 to $ 10,000 , '' Celoron Mayor Scott Schrecengost said . `` And then he stated that if we did n't have the funds and we did n't like the statue , we should take it down and put it in storage . '' After the story of the statue caught fire online this weekend , Poulin publicly apologized Monday for his `` most unsettling sculpture '' in a letter to The Hollywood Reporter . `` I take full responsibility for 'Scary Lucy , ' though by no means was that my intent or did I wish to disparage in any way the memories of the iconic Lucy image , '' Poulin wrote in the letter ( PDF ) . `` From the day of its installation , I have shared my disappointment in the final outcome and have always believed it to be by far my most unsettling sculpture , not befitting of Lucy 's beauty or my ability as a sculptor . '' Poulin said he has been talking to Celoron officials for several years about removing and redoing the sculpture . It seems that cost has been the chief barrier . `` It puzzles me when an art work is donated to a community , they accept it , and then get angry and insist you redo the art work at your own expense . '' Poulin wrote in the letter . But the recent media attention to the sculpture seems to have changed his mind . `` I am willing to put my time and money into redoing the Lucy sculpture and feel confident after ten years I can do a much better job , '' Poulin wrote . No thanks , Schrecengost said . He said the town is looking for a new sculptor to fix the statue . `` It would be reworked from the shoulders up -- the entire head , neck and shoulders , not just the face , '' Schrecengost said in a news release Tuesday . The town has set up a post office box for donations , which can also be made through Kickstarter . But the controversy may not be over . It seems that nearby Jamestown , New York , also has ties to Lucille Ball 's early years and might be interested in its own tribute to the comedic legend . Schrecengost 's Tuesday statement referred to an anonymous Facebook campaign that he claims is aimed at raising Jamestown 's Lucille Ball profile at the expense of the Celoron statue . `` The best place for a life size statue of Lucy is right where it is now -- in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in her hometown , in the Village of Celoron , NY , '' he said . CNN 's Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this story .
An artist apologizes for his graffiti ##tte ##x . In a public meeting , the mayor offers to pay for fixes to the statue . The mayor says he 's not interested in letting the original sculptor work on the statue .