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<p>PITTSTON &#8212; A life-sized statue of Christopher Columbus has returned to its home at Kennedy Boulevard and Main Street, just in time for the city&#8217;s Tomato Festival.</p><p>But since the statue was knocked over and damaged in a car crash last December, the famous explorer has grown a few feet.</p><p>To ensure history doesn&#8217;t repeat itself, the statue&#8217;s new granite base was placed on top of another base, making it 2 feet taller or about 18 feet tall.</p><p>In addition, former city mayor Michael Lombardo said the statue was set a few inches lower in the ground, making it less prone to toppling over if a vehicle hit its base.</p><p>Improved landscaping around the statue includes boulders donated by city resident and developer Ken Churchill, plus new lights and three flags &#8212; the state flag, United States flag and Italian flag.</p><p>The statue was repaired at Pesavento Monuments in Scranton. The company repaired chipping on the statue, as well as repaired and cleaned the base.</p><p>Lombardo explained what took so long to get the statue back in place.</p><p>&#8220;It was the insurance. That was the whole deal,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What happened was the individual who hit the statue was under-insured, so it became an insurance litigation matter. This was a big bill &#8212; $68,000 in damage. (The driver) didn&#8217;t have enough to cover it, so we kind of worked on settling that.&#8221;</p><p>City Councilman Danny Argo was brimming with Italian pride Tuesday as the statue returned to its perch.</p><p>&#8220;I was 17 years old and I was here when they unveiled the statue,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It was put here in commemoration of all Italian immigrants that came to Pittston that worked and contributed to the community. Without that monument here it was a missing link in Pittston. It means a lot to a lot of people.&#8221;</p><p>The statue was unveiled in 1969, and was actually the second Columbus statue in Pittston history.</p><p>According to Argo, another statue was erected years earlier and stood at the former Roosevelt High School. When the school was demolished, the statue went missing and a committee was formed to bring a new statue to the city.</p><p>It was sculpted in Italy and made with a special kind of marble used by famous Italian artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni.</p><p>Lombardo said the statue can now be part of the Pittston Tomato Festival this weekend. He also noted that a re-dedication ceremony is set for October.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want the importance of this being replaced lost in the week of the festival,&#8221; he said. &#8220;As we get closer to Columbus Day, it&#8217;s our plan to have a re-dedication and a ceremony around the return of it.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Christopher Columbus statue returned to Pittston City on Tuesday after it was damaged in a car accident last December. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Columbus-Statue-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Christopher Columbus statue returned to Pittston City on Tuesday after it was damaged in a car accident last December. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Columbus-Statue-clipper.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The statue finally rests on its base freely. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Columbus-Statue-clipper.jpg</photo1><caption1>The statue finally rests on its base freely. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jimmy Fisher</p><p>jfisher@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jimmy Fisher at 570-704-3972 or on Twitter @SD_JimmyFisher</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Christopher Columbus statue back in place for Pittston Tomato Festival