The petitioner, Christian Sottile and the Propeller Club of Savannah, is requesting approval to relocate the Waving Girl Monument from its current location within Morrell Park to 200 West River Walk. The new proposed location would be on public property at the start of West River Walk, where the original end to the River Walk meets the new West River Walk. A map is provided in the attachments of both the current and proposed locations.

The Waving Girl Monument is owned and maintained by the City of Savannah. It depicts Florence Martus who was born on Cockspur Island and later loved to Elba Island, on which she would wave to the passing ships utilizing her handkerchief.

The petitioner claims the proposed new location would allow for better public viewing as well as making the monument easily visible to the passing ships from around the world. The petitioner claims the proposed new location best matches the original intent of the monument's creation and placement. The petitioner states the current monument's location does not match with the original intent of the monument because of its obstructed visibility and distance from passing ships. The petition further claims that visibility has become disrupted by growth in the tree canopy and the construction of the River Walk in 1996 for the Olympics, which placed the monument further back from the Savannah River.

If approved, the relocation would come at zero cost to the City of Savannah and would be provided by the petitioner. 

The Historic Sites and Monument Commission voted to recommend denial of the petition request.

Please see attachments for further reference.

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