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The City of Franklin’s Confederate monument, standing in Memorial Park between Clay Street and Meadow Lane, was set to be removed June 26, but weather prevented this from happening.

City Manager Amanda C. Jarratt addressed the delay during the Franklin City Council meeting June 28.

“We were not able to move the Confederate monument this weekend because of the torrential rain that happened on Friday and Saturday, so we’re working with the contractor to have that rescheduled,” she said. “I’ll keep you all posted on that date. We’re hopeful it’ll be within the next few weeks.”

The contractor for the relocation is Hampton Roads Crane & Rigging Company, which submitted a bid of around $35,000.

“Their staff will work with ours to make sure that it’s scheduled as soon as possible,” Jarratt said of the move.

The monument’s new home will be in Poplar Spring Cemetery. Its reassembly there had originally been slated for July 10.

As The Tidewater News has previously reported, city staff has demolished a gazebo in the cemetery and plans to build a concrete pad in its place large enough to accommodate the monument. Jarratt had said there will be a few additional expenses in connection with the pad.

The City Council voted 6-1 on Sept. 14, 2020, to relocate its Confederate monument to the cemetery from its place between Clay Street and Meadow Lane, where it has been for more than 50 years.

The council had allocated $60,000 as a budget for the project.