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Pig Balloons Won't Fly In Front Of Trump Tower This Year ... Maybe Next?

 Pigs won't fly in front of the
Pigs won't fly in front of the "Trump" sign this year after all.
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New World Design Ltd.

DOWNTOWN — Those big gold pig balloons an architect wanted to fly in front of Chicago's Trump Tower will stay grounded till at least next year, the architect says.

Jeffrey Roberts of Chicago-based New World Design said Thursday morning that city officials denied his permit for a barge that would have been docked in front of President Donald Trump's namesake tower on the Chicago River. 

The pig balloons, inspired by Orwellian props at Pink Floyd concerts, would have been tethered to the barge to obscure the skyscraper's 20-foot-tall "TRUMP" sign. 

Roberts said in a news release that given the city's denial, he now needs more time to get his balloons off the ground.

“We’ve hit a timeline point where it’s too late to fabricate, ship and float the balloons within a reasonably predictable weather window,” Roberts said.

RELATED: Artist Raising $250K To Fly Pigs Outside Trump Tower, But City Not On Board

DNAinfo reported in May that city officials likely would deny the barge permit because it would disrupt too much boat traffic on the Chicago River. A spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation, which denied the barge permit, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Roberts had hoped to raise $250,000 to make his art project a reality. Roberts said Thursday that his budget had been cut down to $85,000. He hopes to fly the pigs next year.

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), whose ward includes the 98-story Trump International Hotel & Tower at 401 N. Wabash Ave., tweeted Thursday that he had been "advocating" for Roberts' firm and also hopes to negotiate the art's arrival in 2018.

Roberts first publicized his idea in December 2016. 

Reilly said he's optimistic the balloons will fly in 2018 because "the event organizers now have more time to address navigational concerns and choose a date that has lesser impact on river traffic."

If the pigs don't fly, Roberts said he'll donate his fundraising to nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood, the National Resource Defense Council, International Refugee Assistance Program, MALDEF, ProPublica, the ACLU, the Trevor Project and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. 

RELATED: Sick of Massive Trump Sign, Architect Wants Flying Golden Pigs To Block It