HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - A nearly full-sized foam replica of the
Statue of Liberty could soon greet the huddled masses traveling the
Indiana Toll Road.

Hammond city officials have voted to pay an engineering firm
$27,500 to determine whether the 130-foot-tall replica can withstand the weather if it's placed on an island in Wolf Lake.

The resin-covered statue was built for a Griffith printing
company that displayed it indoors at a recent convention in St.
Louis.

The company owner donated the statue to the city. Mayor Thomas
McDermott says the city will provide the base and lighting.

The proposed spot for the statue is just off the Toll Road within a couple miles of Lake Michigan.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)