Father Marquette statue vandalized again

The Father Marquette statue has been vandalized for the second time in less than a year.

The green paint seen dripping down his face looks to be the work of a paintball gun. The defacing occurred sometime late Friday night.

It comes at an inopportune time as the Marquette Beautification Committee, the organization in charge of the statue, just had the sculpture cleaned and restored earlier this week. It cost the Committee, which doesn’t use city funds for the project, $10,500 to have it restored and buffed with a layer of wax this past Monday. They also paid $1,500 dollars for a two-day job to have it cleaned with a protective solution on Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning.

Last fall, Giorgio Gikas of Venus BronzeWorks, a Detroit based company, happened to be coming into town for a similar restoration effort when it was vandalized with red paint. That incident cost the Committee $1,200. In total, they have spent over $13,000 to maintain the landmark effigy.

Due to the pricey upkeep, the Committee is offering a reward of $500 to anyone who contacts the Marquette Police Department with the names of the parties responsible.