Alki's new bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty needs both a taller, lighted pedestal and a new plaza with commemorative brick pavers, according to the majority of people attending a Seattle Parks and Recreation public meeting in the Alki Bathhouse.

Two nights after the unveiling of the new Statue of Liberty, Seattle Parks and Recreation held a public meeting at the Bathhouse to find out whether the public prefers getting a new pedestal for the statue, a new plaza, or both a pedestal and a plaza. About 50 people attended.

As is often the fashion at public meetings, people were given adhesive paper dots; green dots to signify "yes," red dots mean "no."

Nearly every green dot handed out at the meeting was placed on the "Both" sheet.

The new pedestal planned for the statue would be 1 foot taller than the existing pedestal. It also would have a light-emitting diode in it that would make it easier to see vandals damaging the statue at night. The glass covering the light would be thick and shatter-proof.

Meeting attendees were enthusiastic in their applause for Matt Hutchins and Chris Ezzell, two architects who donated their professional time to design the proposed pedestal and plaza.

The latest campaign to raise money for the project has a new name: Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project. It has been granted nonprofit status and is partnered with an arts organization called Urban Sparks, which agreed to be its fiscal agent for the statue project.

A total of $10,550 for the project was turned over to Urban Sparks by Northwest Programs for the Arts, which handled fund-raising for the past several years. The music-oriented nonprofit organizatilon raised money for the project by selling commemorative bricks to be installed in the new plaza.

The city of Seattle has not been involved in the brick-selling campaign, explained Pam Kliment, project manager from the parks department.

"But there's enough money to install the bricks," she said. "They will be used."

The entire plaza is planned at 2,300 square feet, Kliment said. So far, commemorative bricks will take up just 22 square feet so there's room for more.

The new statue is going to require regular maintenance because there are a lot of birds at the beach and bird droppings can damage bronze, Keating said. He recommends a good cleaning and then waxing, which seals pores in the metal. Cleaning and waxing are recommended every three to six months, he added.

Total cost of a new pedestal and plaza is estimated at $156,000. With $50,000 in the mayor's 2008 budget proposal plus contributions in hand, about $90,000 remains to be collected. Libby Carr who, with husband Paul, is heading up the fund-raising campaign said the plan is to collect the remaining amount in one big push.

"This is where we are now," Kliment of Seattle Parks and Recreation, "and we want to build something beautiful."

Tim St. Clair can be reached at timstc@robinsonnews.com or (206) 932-0300.