Champlain Monument to be spruced up

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May 27, 2009

By JOE LOTEMPLIO The Press Republican Wed May 27, 2009, 11:19 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — The City of Plattsburgh will be sprucing up the honored guest of this year’s big party.

The Samuel de Champlain Monument, which overlooks the mouth of the Saranac River as it empties into the lake that bears the great French explorer’s name, will be cleaned and refurbished this summer.

The city will use its portion of the $45,000 allotment of state funds that were given to Plattsburgh and Rouses Point as part of the quadricentennial celebration.

“We asked our historical folks what a good legacy project would be for this celebration, and just about everyone agreed that the statue had not been cleaned since anyone could remember,” Mayor Donald Kasprzak said.

The statue was erected in 1912 in honor of Champlain’s discovery of the lake and efforts to settle the region around 1609.

It features a 22-foot base made of pink granite from Massachusetts, with a 12-foot bronze statue of Champlain perched on top.

It was designed by sculptor Carl Heber.

“Four-hundred-year birthdays don’t come around that often, so it is very important to do this project,” Kasprzak said.

“The more people from outside our area learn about the lake and our rich history, it will benefit the entire region as more visitors will come into our community.”

The city is seeking bids to do the refurbishing of the statue this summer.

Quadicentennial celebrations are planned throughout the region for most of this year.

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at:

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com