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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 27, 2005 Medford’s li’l Liberty gets new home The replica, which has undergone repairs for weather vandalism, will be installed at Eighth and Oakdale By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune After three years of sitting in a warehouse, Medford’s Statue of Liberty replica will finally get a new home. The City Council on Thursday selected the Carnegie Building property at the corner of Oakdale Avenue and Eighth Street because it would be accessible to the public and is in a spot busy enough to deter vandalism. The council also considered locations inside and outside City Hall, downtown Alba Park and Liberty Park, which is proposed for the area of Beatty and Edwards streets. Medford’s 8-foot-4-inch Statue of Liberty is currently tucked in a corner of a parks department warehouse amid maintenance equipment and parks supplies. It is one of 195 such replicas around the country, made as part of an anniversary celebration of the Boy Scouts of America in 1950. Advertisement Medford’s statue was dedicated in 1951 in Hawthorne Park. The statue faced several rounds of repairs because of weather and vandals. Then in 2002, following vandalism in which the statue’s arm was broken off (and found in a metal scrap yard), it was pulled off its pedestal for renovation. The city decided Hawthorne Park was no longer a safe location for the statue. Councilman Jim Kuntz suggested the Carnegie property because of its high profile. Others thought Alba Park was best, but Councilman John Statler discouraged that idea. "I’ve been involved in lots of festivals (in Alba Park) ... it’s a pretty small park," he said, adding that the statue, pedestal and landscaping would take up too much space. City Manager Mike Dyal said there are still a few thousand dollars available that had been raised for renovation that could pay for a pedestal and landscaping. The council directed Bruce Galloway of the Parks and Recreation Department to come back to a future City Council meeting with a proposal for landscaping for the statue. "I’ll be glad to have it back," said Mayor Gary Wheeler. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s