SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Some coastal Georgia residents are fighting an effort to relocate an iconic statue.
Savannah officials last week approved a plan to move the city's Waving Girl statue, which depicts a woman who greeted ships arriving and departing the city.
Maritime interests and a developer want to move the statue from a park to a location closer to the edge of the Savannah River, saying mariners should be able to see it.
"Relocation will make it visible from the river for the first time in 20 years," architect Christian Sottile told the Savannah Morning News.
The Waving Girl, dedicated in 1972, is a tribute to Florence Martus. She lived on nearby Elba Island and greeted ships arriving and departing Savannah between 1887 to 1931 by waving her handkerchief by day and a lantern by night.
When first placed, the monument was closer to the river. During the 1996 Olympics the statue was moved. When replaced after the games, the statue was placed 95 feet (29 meters) back from the river. Crepe myrtle trees have since grown up around the monument, obscuring the view.
But opponents of the move have started a petition asking to keep the statue where it is. Some opponents are merchants who don't want the statue moved from near their businesses. Others say it looks like the move is a favor to Richard Kessler, who is developing the neighboring site.
"It shouldn't be moved at the whim of millionaires," said Racheal Shaner. "It almost becomes part of his (Kessler's) collection."
Jason Ball of the maritime industry's Propeller Club said it's unfair to make the relocation about favoring Kessler. He told WSAV-TV that club members have been trying to get the statue moved closer to the river since the Olympics.
The new riverwalk is the place for the statue, Ball said.
"There's no way they can put a tree in front of her again," he said.
Aldermen also discussed placing the Olympic cauldron in the Waving Girl location. That issue will be taken up by the new council that will take office in January.