CB 9 calls for repairs to statue

Is 65 years too long for a Kew Gardens statue to go without repairs or renovations?
Members of Community Board 9 think so, and they are calling on the New York City Parks & Recreation Department to come up with the necessary funds to repair &#8220Civic Virtues,” the statue on the corner of Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike that former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia gave to Queens County 65 years ago when Borough Hall first opened.
&#8220The statue, from a distance if you look at it, it looks fine,” said Community Board 9 Chair Ivan Mrakovcic. &#8220But, if you look up close, there are huge chunks missing from the fountain portion.”
Members of the community board met with representatives from the Parks Department and the Borough President's Office in June to discuss the possibility of renovating the statue; however, they did not reach an agreement.
Although, the Parks Department said the project is on its wish list, it said there has not been funding earmarked for the repairs, according to Parks & Recreation spokesperson Abigail Lootens.
Meanwhile the community board said the statue has continued to deteriorate and even become dangerous.
&#8220It becomes a safety hazard,” said Mrakovcic, who is worried that when people walk up to look at the statue or when they use it as a backdrop for wedding photos, they could injure themselves. &#8220People expect to put their foot on marble, and they end up hurting themselves.”
Mary Ann Carey, District Manager for Community Board 9, said she does not believe the department considers the project a priority and is skeptical that repairs will happen. She said that back in 1997 the board met with Parks & Recreation, and it had community member and conservationist Kate Burns Ottavino provide a list of all the improvements needed, which totaled more than $800,000 so costs would be even higher today.
This is not the first time &#8220Civic Virtues,” has created a stir. The statue, which appears to show a man stepping on two women, originally resided outside City Hall until LaGuardia grew tired of it and had it moved to Queens.
But, the statue, which was designed by Frederick MacMonnies and sculpted by the Piccirilli brothers, who also sculpted Daniel Chester French's statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial and the lions in front of the New York Public Library, was meant to show the man stepping over two evils on the path to virtue.
Some residents believe that even with its controversial nature, it is still a work of art.
&#8220I would like to see it [the repairs] because it is a work of art,” Carey said. She continued that if it repairs are done properly and a new fountain added in, &#8220I think it can be the centerpiece of Borough Hall.”