Adjustments coming to Indiana sculpture hazard

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A city northwest of Indianapolis is looking to make adjustments to a $200,000 statue that's become a safety hazard.

The Journal and Courier (http://on.jconline.com/2q2J6oE) reports that one of the blue beams on the "What Lines?" statue in Lafayette protrudes out into a walkway at about shoulder-high for anyone who is roughly 6-feet tall.

"I was just so busy looking 30 feet in the air and going on about how wonderful it all was. I wasn't looking at, you know, what's it like at forehead level?" said Margy Deverall, the point person in Lafayette's economic development department when it comes to public art installations.

Metal workers from BoMar Industries are working with sculptor Jeff Laramore to take measurements and will cut into the piece this weekend, removing the dangerous beam.

"We'll do a nice, clean job to resolve that issue," Laramore said. "Cut, sand it down, repaint. Other than maybe reading about it in the newspaper, no one will ever know that it wasn't meant to be."

In the meantime, the city has strategically placed a trash can next to the piece to make sure pedestrians don't walk too close to the protruding metal beam.

"What Lines?" is part of a pair of public art pieces meant to mark Lafayette's tribute to Indiana's Bicentennial and serve as a gateway to the city's downtown. It was installed two weeks ago and is scheduled to be dedicated on June 7.

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com