Construction of a new plaza and pedestal for the Alki Statue of Liberty is on schedule for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 6 with groundbreaking possibly in mid-July.

Despite attracting almost $100,000 over target, the project has been plagued by delays, the collapsed support from its first arts organization, extra scrutiny from the city design commission, and two changes of project managers.

A third, Patrick Donohue, and new parks superintendent Tim Gallagher, have put the project on track.

"The project is moving forward to a Sept. 6 opening celebration," said Dewey Potter, communications manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation. "The project is on schedule. (We) have evaluated the revised schematic design and its impact on the budget, but we don't anticipate any problems."

The Parks department has hired Susan Black and Associates to produce construction documents from the schematics drawn by Chris Ezzell of eWorkshop, and Matt Hutchins of Cast Architecture.

When the documents are 90 percent complete, Donohue will have them reviewed within the Parks department.

"It's not a race to the finish," said Hutchins, "but a race to the starting line." To complete the project in time, ""we won't be moving through all the hurdles that a normal project would."

Instead of a formal internal review, Donohue will "walk the documents around the office to the various shareholders."

The city will pre-identify companies with available time, eager to begin work on the plaza immediately, and invite them to bid, said Hutchins.

The bid will go out around July 1.

Kenadar, a brick engraving company in Tacoma, has already begun inscribing the paving stones.

Hutchins himself is busy, incorporating changes suggested by the Seattle Design Commission at its review of the project April 3.

"We held onto the major elements of the design the public has seen and wanted for two years," said Hutchins. "The refinements will make for a much better setting for the statue, and a much better public space."

At nearly eight feet, the pedestal is 15 inches taller than the current pedestal. But the base is smaller than in the original design, reducing a tripping hazard. Its pentagonal structure was reduced to two pairs of sides, identical front-and-back and left-and-right.

It will be built from a material called cast stone, which pours like concrete, has the same strength, but looks and feels like limestone or sandstone.

The pedestal will be topped by a lantern of bronze. A ring of light-emitting diodes, which lasts 10 years without replacing, will glow inside and just below frosted, shatterproof glass. The metal will have a patina to match the statue standing on top.

The position of the new pedestal was originally offset to accommodate maintenance trucks driving past on the plaza. Since the Parks department no longer requires that, the statue was re-centered in the plaza. The ramp from the street won't be flat, but have two sets of three steps and a gentler slope.

The statue will again face the water directly, rather than look toward the Olympic Mountains. A flat semi-circle at the foot of the statue may be inscribed with a quotation, and house a buried time capsule.

Despite earlier concerns about maintenance and weathering, most of the benches will be wooden, with added seat backs. Three other benches, which members of the design commission complained stood between the statue and the waterfront, will remain, but with changes.

"We told them those benches won't be eliminated," said Libby Carr, co-chair of the fund-raising committee. Three donations and two matching grants from Microsoft brought in $25,000 from those alone.

Instead, their position was shifted toward the Bathhouse, increasing the clearance from the pedestal from three to eight feet. Their radiating angles were softened to match the nautilus spiral of the plaza.

Paths leading from the plaza to the adjacent lawns will remain, along with landscape plaques paid for by donors, despite the commission's concern about the grass maintenance.

Landscaping has been reduced about 30 percent. Overall, the size of the whole plaza has been reduced, now occupying the same area as the current pedestal and surrounding asphalt.

Not everything will be ready for the ribbon cutting.

The wiring for the lantern at the top of the pedestal will be installed but may not be connected to provide light that evening. The landscaping may not be planted.

"Which is just as well," Paul said. "We don't want people trampling the new plants on Sept. 6."

Matthew G. Miller is a freelance writer living in the Admiral District who may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com.