LITTLE ROCK — A granite monument of the Ten Commandments planned near Arkansas' Capitol will weigh 6,000 pounds and stand more than 6 feet tall, the group lined up to install the display said in an application filed Monday.
The American History and Heritage Foundation detailed its plans for the privately-funded monument in papers submitted to the secretary of state's office. The majority-Republican Legislature and GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson approved a law last year that requires the state to allow the monument to be built on Capitol grounds.
Travis Story, the foundation's general counsel, said the group raised more than $25,000 for the monument and its installation. The monument is in storage, Story said. In its application, the group suggests two sites for the monument on the Capitol's south side.
"The monument commemorates the Ten Commandments, an important component of the foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and the state of Arkansas," the group said in its application.
The law requires Secretary of State Mark Martin to consult the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission before approving the design and site for the monument. The law has prompted other groups to demand the state allow competing monuments, including a satanic statue.
Chris Powell, a spokesman for Martin's office, said the 10-member commission hasn't yet set a date to take up the monument application and will likely also discuss several other proposals.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.