SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, November 10, the Santa Monica City Council agreed to renovate an anti-war sculpture.

The renovation costs approved by the city council amounted to $275,000. In 2012, the council refused to put forth money to cover the project, stating that the costs would be too much and that the sculpture is a threat to public safety.

Due to the vast support of the community, there was enough money to cover renovations needed. The community started a group called Save Chain Reaction in order to help raise funds for the renovation project. Supporters of the stature managed to raise $100,000 to help cover costs.

The sculpture, called Chain Reaction, was created by three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Paul Conrad. It was installed on Main Street in 1991. The Santa Monica Landmark Commission designated the sculpture a landmark on July 9, 2012. The sculpture itself is composed out of a steel frame interior and contains a fiberglass shell and copper chains on its exterior. The sculpture stands at 26-feet tall and weighs about 5 and a half tons.

For years the sculpture was surrounded by a metal fence with “Danger” signs posted on it. Son of Paul Conrad, David Conrad has expressed his gratitude for the city of Santa Monica and its community for the support they have shown his father. Work on the statue is expected to be completed in about four months.

Paul Conrad passed away in September 2010. The sculpture was made as an anti-nuclear war symbol. On it, there is an inscription that reads, “This is a statement of peace. May it never become an epitaph.”