Edwards statue may lose its pedestal but stay in City Park - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

EDWARDSVILLE — While Ninian Edwards’ likeness may lose its pedestal, it does not seem like it will be moving from City Plaza.

That was the summation of discussion at the city’s administrative and community service (ACS) committee Thursday. On April 15, the same committee discussed moving the statue to Lusk Cemetery. Most of the Lusk headstones were moved to Woodlawn Cemetery during the 1920s and 1930s, so to the uninitiated, it may resemble a park, less than a mile from City Plaza.

The prevailing thought was putting Edwards among other city fathers and contemporaries who are buried there and further north in the former Ebenezer Cemetery would be a good choice and it would permit them to tell a more thorough story on him and surround his statue with the educational lithograph that would stem from a research paper that a local historian compiled on Edwards.

Aldermen said since that April 15 meeting, they received pushback from people who live around Lusk Park and resistance from others who did not support the move. Combining that with the fact that the Col. Benjamin Stephenson House and the Madison County Historical Society refused to house the statue, the committee has been set back.

“Our options to strike a compromise are almost back to where they were eight months ago,” Alderman William Krause said. “I think Alderman Morrison mentioned at one time, the concept of taking the statue off of its pedestal.”

Morrison agreed.

“At a minimum, the issue I have and the issue I hear Our Edwardsville saying, is that it’s in a place of reverence, a place of honor,” Morrison said. “Literally on a pedestal at an entry point into our community.

“I think we need to take it off the pedestal. I would support moving it elsewhere but at a minimum, I think we should do that.”

Mayor-elect Art Risavy agreed and said several people reached out to him one-on-one since April 15 to express their disappointment with the committee for considering moving it there. Once it’s de-pedestaled, Risavy said he is ready to move on from the issue.

Alderman Jack Burns, while not on this committee, agreed with the committee trio.

Public Works Director Eric Williams estimated that it would cost no more than $1,000 to decouple the statute from the pedestal and it will not use taxpayer funds. Krause agreed. Most of the figure will cover the in-house labor to remove the brick enclosure, remove the pedestal and add it to a newly poured concrete pad.

One wrinkle for the committee is that this was the final ACS meeting for these three aldermen as a group. Risavy will become mayor on Tuesday, then he will re-shuffle committee assignments which may result in a completely different composition of the ACS committee when it meets again in May.

Since this was a discussion item, or a motion, and not an ordinance or resolution, the committee sought staff members’ help in their next step as they wanted concurrence of the entire city council. They did not want to leave the issue for Risavy’s initial council meeting. That would push the issue back to May 18 and it would appear on the agenda as a legislative and executive item or one under ACS. Moving to May 18 would also allow for extra discussion time on the subject from citizens.

“If the motion fails at council to remove it from its pedestal, then it’s back to the new ACS committee and at this moment, I don’t think they’re enough alternative options to pursue,” said Krause. “If it fails at council to take it off of its pedestal, then nothing occurs.”

The next city council meeting is Monday at 7 p.m., the annual sine die meeting, which is Mayor Hal Patton’s final meeting, followed by the regular city council meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. Both meetings will take place at city hall, 118 Hillsboro Ave. or via Zoom.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Edwards-statue-may-lose-its-pedestal-but-stay-16140484.php

2021-04-30 01:06:32Z
CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWludGVsbGlnZW5jZXIuY29tL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS9FZHdhcmRzLXN0YXR1ZS1tYXktbG9zZS1pdHMtcGVkZXN0YWwtYnV0LXN0YXktMTYxNDA0ODQucGhw0gFkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlci5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvRWR3YXJkcy1zdGF0dWUtbWF5LWxvc2UtaXRzLXBlZGVzdGFsLWJ1dC1zdGF5LTE2MTQwNDg0LnBocA

Bagikan Berita Ini