St. Augustine’s contractor has started the process of relocating the Confederate monument in the Plaza de la Constitucion.
On Monday, the St. Augustine City Commission voted to move the Confederate War Memorial to Trout Creek Fish Camp off of State Road 13.
Related: St. Augustine City Commission Approves Plan To Relocate Confederate Monument
On Friday, the city’s contractor started prepping the monument to be moved in two pieces.
As WJCT News partner News4Jax reports, dozens of protestors gathered around the monument before dawn.
The city’s contractor Progressive Construction warns that the project could take weeks to finish as crews work to carefully move the nearly 150 year old monument without damaging it.
“We are proud to help the city of St. Augustine in relocating this historic memorial so that it will be protected and preserved for another 200 years to come,” said Jeremy Patterson, Progressive Construction Vice President. “In the case of this memorial, the City is taking great care to ensure that it is not simply dismantled and destroyed, but carefully removed so as to preserve it and ensure that it remains for generations to come.”
Related: Dueling Protests In Palatka Over Courthouse Confederate Statue
“We want this to be an open and transparent operation with Progressive Construction. They recently have moved some of the most significant structures in our American history, from Greenville, SC, to Stamford, CT,” City Manager John Regan said. “We could not be more pleased to be working with the best in the business, knowing they will handle our memorial with the respect and care that it deserves.”
Photo used under Creative Commons license.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
