The artist responsible for Presidents Park south of Lead says that despite earlier reports, he does plan to create a sculpture of our newest president to the Black Hills.

Presidents Park founder and Texas artist David Adickes started working on the life-size bust of Barack Obama a few days after the election, and he has been working seven days a week on this project, according to Lead Presidents Park spokesman Dave Olmstead.

The new president Obama statue will sit just down from ex-President George W. Bush statue. Plans are to have a grand unveiling in July.

"We have had tons of e-mails about this summer, so we do look forward to a very good summer," Olmstead said. "This will be the first added president in 7-1/2 years to our attraction."