What do you do when your town has been putting you through the wringer for 10 years? Why, erect a giant, wooden middle finger and set it atop a 16 foot pole in your front yard, of course. I mean, obviously.

Ted Pelkey of Vermont did just that after years of rejections from town officials to build a garage on his property.

According to Boston.com, Pelkey’s creation isn’t aimed at his fellow neighbors and townspeople. Rather, it’s a message for the Westford Development Review Board (except for the town clerk, Nanette Rodgers, whom Pelkey clarified is a “great person”), which has continuously rejected Pelkey’s applications to build a garage for his truck repair and monofilament recycling businesses on his own property, something he’d like to do in order to move his business closer to home and save thousands on rental costs.

Pelkey admits his initial application was less than thorough, but he claims he hired an engineer and a lawyer to help make his application more comprehensive. Still, the Development Review Board continues to reject his request for a building permit, something that leads Pelkey to believe they are “biased against [him].”

Of his decision to erect the middle finger statue instead, Pelkey says, “If you don’t want to look at the building, look at this.”

The statue, which weighs 700 pounds and cost $4,000 to construct, comes complete with floodlights so that passersby can see it, even at night.

Perhaps the best part? Pelkey is not violating any billboard laws or other zoning restrictions with his creation. In fact, this little slice of revenge is considered “public art,” which means neither the state nor the town can force Pelkey to remove it.

It’d take a lot of getting on my nerves to prompt me to spend $4,000 to stick it to the man, but hey. You gotta do what you gotta do. Every person has their limit, and apparently Pelkey’s limit is 10 years of building permit denials. When your hands are tied, I guess extending the middle finger is a viable option.

While an appeal of the Review Board’s rejections is allegedly in the works, Pelkey plans to keep his sculpture intact until his case is reviewed and an acceptable outcome is granted.

So take that, Westford town officials (except sweet Nanette, of course). You’ve just been served a whopping eyeful of peak savagery.

Photo Credits: Boston.com