Gone are the benches, planters, flood lights, and gravel walking paths. The sculpture itself — of an aspiring immigrant family — remains in the picture, as a controversial plan to replace the former Wooster Square Christopher Columbus monument moved to a new stage. That was the update offered Wednesday night at a meeting of the Wooster Square Monument Committee convened over the Zoom teleconferencing app.

The meeting provided an update on plans to create a new sculpture in Wooster Square Park to replace the Columbus statue removed during 2020’s Black Lives Matters protests. The Monument committee enlisted Marc Massaro to design the replacement. It has sparked fierce debate among neighbors.