At a time when many communities are struggling to fund art pieces, it’s unfortunate that a sculpture that sat outside the hospital formerly known as Whidbey General for 45 years was bulldozed with no fanfare.

It’s also unfortunate that the people who run the public hospital made the decision without input from — or notice to — the public.

The Whidbey News-Times first became aware that the sculpture was gone when a citizen asked where the heck it went.

The hospital’s director of facilities and plant engineering explained that the outdoor sculpture had to be demolished because of safety issues. The brace inside of the sculpture was beginning to rust and rot and the outer layers of concrete were crumbling, he said.

Perhaps there was no way to save the 12-ton piece of artwork, but it warranted a second opinion. The public also deserved an opportunity to help save the piece.

The sculpture stood on hospital grounds since 1970, so it seems like there should have been time to alert the community or ask for ideas. At least give people time to take a last look or snap a photograph.

Instead, it just disappeared in a cloud of dust into hospital history.

Ironically, the untitled sculpture was registered with the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Save Outdoor Sculpture program. It was designed and created by artist Michael Park along with the help of sculptor Charles Talman. It consisted of three slabs of concrete with relief patterns set into the ground to form a triangular-shaped open room through which people could walk.

Around the same time the sculpture was demolished, hospital leaders proudly unveiled a new, plum-colored sign with the hospital’s new logo and name — WhidbeyHealth Medical Center.

The sign definitely calls attention to the hospital, though some people have questioned its aesthetics.

Very few people knew about the name and logo change before it was announced as a done deal, leading to some consternation in the public.

That was far from the first time that hospital leaders have been called out for a lack of transparency with the public.

Maybe the sculpture wasn’t a great work of art, but a public entity working to build trust from the community should remember that the first step toward restoring trust is communication with those who pay their salaries — the taxpayers.