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By DORIAN LEIGH ROBERTS '`- ` Y > `' r`%' ` •s R �;i''',1•'''''
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Staff Writers • :. :..-:..w. .. .:. ,r �tt��� ; t } '�.��" tt r•a..
NEWBURGH — Cal?'it the City •of � � •
O ti •
e 'a, ^+ •s lF�
Newburgh colossus,,A statue of Chris I% *k 'J ` �y
topher Columbus'r;taller than ,the ux "'� '
•
Statue of.Liberrty'"whose°'shadow at ' '" ~ ` ''
sunset •would...reach into the. main 'f I° sr , ;;.;:=7.7i::,-1.**''''
-1i„
channel of the Hudson River. • - >� ' ley'. P,' ' 5,.t ,
f
No joke, it's going to happen if peo-_ r...•;,,..',,:'!,,,•2•7.:.1,..-,.;•Yl',,tit,- ' �t :
pie follow his lead, said Gerardo 'p' ` <rA � K�+.
"Gerry"
r y' /'1 V r ;;y) '
Geri Sanchez, a Cuban-born devel= Nt r� -. - , �-. , ' •- �'-'`- � � xR:=* � �} ;
oper who is working on several prof- a. �a' �"4 , ,ar Yt r'
`s in the City of Newburgh. `:•,..'''.;-,.`,,,:,:''. ' tr.' '
-c rc;,,r;t:'., .t"o:'�":=is an . ,.4 i:7--=-. �, I^,,
irritation to some members.of-UNICQ.,-__ • .. ' 4- ,,,• _
an Italian-American organization that
raised money.to erect a much more r i r' ' �;z
modestly sized, 7'/2-feet high figure of r ;4 if.V.,Ad* ) ''1 J ,
the explorer on a pedestal 8 feet tall. ;.f i e� f .
That statue stands on the Newburgh ,%x °4 _ `` '_{ _ o ; i t':4 `
waterfront. 4 -'ii A . • f, f,ra� ,,
Sanchez, who calls himself obsessed s Sz, ` �' '
with Columbus, thinks there is room ; ' .�%�F; O • I f zf=:
for both statues. The Sanchez Candi ,,� • Xr ori: , • ;,, ' �f
date would be 1,200 tons and 300-plus 4''`' h,.4;1.'14',t .. ,.� `�+'`5t ,' pF4 3 s'I� .' ,
foot statue of Columbus built and de '4, fic $ ,. ' : �';J y,r-...,;,;.,:,l,,,,,.,,,),, ,. log..- 1 41'-'-'.' ,,,
signed by Russian artist ZUI'ab Tsere '' -- =g <�=L .�•,4 7'•>l f.'r ':Va/ t g
tell. It was originally intended as a giftThe Seoul
to the U.S, in 1991 from IYlikhail Gor- Gerardo, "Gerry" Sanchez, a Cuban-born developer who is working on
bachev. several projects in the City of Newburgh, wants to erect a statue of Chris-
Sanchez believes having the statue topher Columbus that would dwarf the existing one at right - as well as
in Newburgh would bring more , tour- the City of Newburgh.
ism and employment to the city.
/
"It would create over 100 temporary "There was a lot of blood, sweat and question that only the community has
jobs and over 1,000 permanent jobs in tears that went into getting the Co- the answer to and they can do that by
Newburgh," he said. "People go to lumbus statue in UNICO park," she letting the city government know what
Woodbury Common for the stores and said. "And a lot of UNICO members they think about it," he said.
to West Point to see the ghtsecampus. are thteret rth ofcCtolum1blt usof inraNew- Torr believes there are some pros
People will come to Newburgh to see statue
the statue." burgh." and cons to having the statue in New-
• There at-c more than,2,000 pieces to But Sanchez isn't out to offend arty- burgh. "It's a pro in the fact that it
the Columbus statue crated and one and does like the statue in UNICO would put Newburgh on the map and a
stored between St. Petersburg, Rus- Park. "I love the small statue but con is the sense of the size statue
( and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sanchez there is nothing wrong with having; would be overwhelming," he said.
':f„ d the Russians would ship and as- two statues," he said. "We are talking But Porr has other ideas for statues
• semble the statue wherever it goes, so about a statue bigger than the Statue in Newburgh. "1 would be more in-
there would be no cost to Newburgh. or Liberty, it would be the biggest al- dined to support a project if it was a
Regina Angelo, Newburgh city traction in the Itudson Valley.' statue of John Lennon or Theodore
councilwoman, believes there isn't City Manager I harry Pour said that Roosevelt," he laughed. "1 would even
enough room for two statues in New- this dcri:;ion is f-.r the pc nple of ';r,u•- support a statue of Patti LaBelle if she
burgh. burgh to decid "1 thick :i.' . :1 U•'rformed a (.(1,...,-I in Nr.1.0.1,rrr1, ''