City of Trenton employees will have to attempt another solution to remove paint from a vandalized statue of Christopher Columbus. “Power washing did not work,” an Department of Public Works employee said. The water wand rested atop the base of the Columbus monument on Hamilton Ave. Paint remained on the legs of the controversial explorer. John Scarpati, president of the Mercer County Italian American Festival, expressed disappointment about the attack on the Italian voyager.

“I didn’t think the power washing would work. We’re going to have to sand blast the paint off, with a mild sand or use some kind of chemical. It’s going to take some effort to get that paint off the statue, the concrete base and several other areas,” Scarpati said. Scarpati bristled then exploded when asked if this might be an appropriate time to move Columbus, especially considering that most Italians have moved out of this former city Italian enclave known as Chambersburg.