Metropolis , Illinois ( CNN ) -- Superman will not be saving Lois Lane this time , but the residents of Metropolis are hopeful his fans will . Metropolis , Illinois wants a companion statue for Superman , but the economy may block its efforts . The villain is the economy . Despite being about $ 70,000 shy of the funding needed to cast a figure in the image of the fictional `` Daily Planet '' reporter , this town of 6,000 residents says it 's going forward with a ground breaking . Metropolis wants its Lois Lane statue . There are no skyscrapers here . If you search the local telephone book you wo n't find any familiar names . There 's no Lex Luthor or Perry White . The closest Jimmy Olsen lives in Aledo , Illinois . If you call the nearby nuclear plant and ask about kryptonite they wo n't take you seriously . Most days of the year you can walk about town without seeing anyone in a cape or leotard . Very little about Metropolis , Illinois , resembles the metroplex made famous in `` Action Comics , '' except for the constant presence of Superman . His statue stands 15-feet tall outside the Massac County Courthouse and 50 yards away is the county justice center . In 1972 , DC Comics , the current owner of the character , declared the town the official home for Superman . Since then , it 's residents have fashioned a monument , a museum , and an annual festival around the superhero . `` We 've had groups from as far away as Japan and Australia , '' said Karla Ogle , one of the festival organizers . `` There 's a family that comes every year from Canada . '' And each year Noel Neill is honored . She 's the original Lois Lane . Neill starred opposite George Reeves in the 1950s `` Adventures of Superman '' television series and it 's her image the local chamber of commerce wants to immortalize in a statue . The town first came up with the idea of a companion statue for Superman in 2005 . A lot has changed since then , primarily the economy . `` We 've been affected pretty heavily because most of our revenue comes from the casino , '' said Mayor Billy McDaniel . The Harrah 's Casino is the closest thing this little burgh has to a tall building . `` Their revenue has been down as much as 30 percent , '' noted McDaniel . And the Metropolis budget is not bulletproof either . The town has not been replacing some workers as they retire , because of the lower tax receipts . What about the prospects for Lois Lane ? `` If there 's any money out there we 're going to find it , '' said the mayor . Metropolis has agreed to foot half the statue 's bill , if the Illinois Board of Tourism provides a matching grant . Private donations have raised only $ 9,000 in four years , not even enough to pay for the monument 's base . `` They were good initially , but slowed down to a trickle , '' said Clyde Wills with the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce . `` We 're committed to the project , '' despite the economy . The city plans to break ground for the statue on June 11 , during the opening night of their annual Superman festival , even though the state is months away from a decision on their grant request . Lois Lane 's fate , like in most issues of the comic , is `` to be continued ... ''
Illinois town came up with idea for Lois Lane statue in 2005 . Since then , the economy has taken a downturn and the funding is short . Town plans to go through with groundbreaking , despite the budget shortfall .