Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park as Bob Burns and Talyn Walsh hold panel in place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, checks level of one of the installed fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Evans Welding’s Talyn Walsh checks level of fence panel of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park before it is welded into place as Bob Burns and Lucas Posillo hold panel in place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park as Bob Burns and Talyn Walsh move another panel into place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, kneeling, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, foreground, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns with Evans Welding out of Westerly, takes measurements as the installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, on ladder, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Alan Peck park superintendent and and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, unload fence panels as nstallation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Alan Peck, park superintendent, chats with Bob Burns, with Evans Welding of Westerly, as installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park as Bob Burns and Talyn Walsh hold panel in place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, checks level of one of the installed fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Evans Welding’s Talyn Walsh checks level of fence panel of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park before it is welded into place as Bob Burns and Lucas Posillo hold panel in place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, works on welding into place one of the fence panels of the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park as Bob Burns and Talyn Walsh move another panel into place on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, kneeling, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, foreground, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns with Evans Welding out of Westerly, takes measurements as the installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Bob Burns, on ladder, and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, begin installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Alan Peck park superintendent and and Lucas Posillo, with Evans Welding out of Westerly, unload fence panels as nstallation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
Alan Peck, park superintendent, chats with Bob Burns, with Evans Welding of Westerly, as installation work on the steel security fence that will encircle the Columbus statue in Wilcox Park began on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The fence construction was delayed due to the interruption of the metal supply chain due to COVID. Harold Hanka, The Westerly Sun
WESTERLY — Work to install a gated, steel enclosure around the Christopher Columbus statue in Wilcox Park started this week.
The 7-foot-tall enclosure is intended to protect the statue, which was made at the former Joseph Coduri Granite Co. from blue granite pulled out of a quarry in the town. Many communities throughout New England, including in Rhode Island and Connecticut, removed their Columbus statues after the monuments were criticized as being symbols of insensitivity and worse following the killing of George Floyd. The traditional portrayal of Columbus as a purely heroic figure roils those who say a fair assessment must also acknowledge atrocities he carried out against indigenous people in the Americas.
The 15-foot-tall monument was first unveiled in 1949. It now occupies a spot off the esplanade in Wilcox Park, across from Town Hall. It was originally in a different location in the park.
The gate on the new fence will likely be unlocked when the Westerly Library is open for visitors and locked when it is not, said Brigitte Hopkins, executive director of the library.
The statue has been targeted by both would-be and actual vandals during the last year. Last August, two women were arrested after they were found near the statue with bottles of red paint. In October, two teenagers were arrested after they were observed throwing rocks at the statue, and in July two other teenagers were arrested and charged with defacing a section of the statue by throwing eggs at it and using blue paint.
The board of trustees of the Memorial and Library Association, which manages the privately owned park and library, started studying the ownership of the statue following Floyd's death and the protests that followed. The board eventually voted "to take ownership of the statue" after town officials said they believed the statue was owned by the association and after members of the Town Council said they wanted the statue to remain in the park.
The council later voted to give the association $5,000 to be used toward the effort to better protect the statue. The council also approved Town Manager J. Mark Rooney's request to use the labor of Department of Public Works employees to perform some of the prep work to improve security around the statue.
The custom-made fence is being installed by Evans Welding of Westerly. The fence cost $52,000, according to Hopkins. The library association also approved the purchase of additional security cameras that have been installed. The cameras provide real-time coverage of the statue that is fed into the Westerly Police Department dispatch center. New lights near the statue brighten at night when the statue is approached.
In addition to approving the new security measures, the library board also decided to embark on a public education effort aimed at generating open discussions about Columbus and the statue, which some say is more of a tribute to the Italian craftsmen who carved it than it is to the explorer. Hopkins said the education series, which has included speakers and virtual community discussions, is scheduled to resume in the fall depending on restrictions that may be required due to the COVD-19 pandemic.
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Who do I have to be related to on the Board of Trustees to get paid $52,000 for a fence??? 😂😂😂 #smalltowncorruption #youremployeesmakepennies #illdoitfor40k
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