Norwich — In sharp contrast to a confrontation in New Haven on Wednesday, leaders of Norwich Italian heritage groups were applauded by about a dozen people as they explained that images and references to controversial explorer Christopher Columbus will be removed from a monument designed to honor Italian immigrants.

“We here in Norwich are a little more civilized, I’d like to think, than other places,” said Frank Jacaruso, president of the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee, when asked to compare reactions in New Haven and Norwich. “And we understood the sensitivity of people, so we were proactive and got ahead of this thing, and I don’t think there’s any objection by anybody that we’re going to dedicate this monument to our ancestors.”

The obelisk was erected in 1992 — the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage — by the committee and was paid for by 400 people whose ancestors are engraved on the base of the monument. Jacaruso and other speakers at Wednesday’s news conference stressed that the monument always was meant to emphasize the message of the Italian phrase carved on one side: “Onorate I Vostri Gentori” — honor your parents.

Crews from Tri-County Memorials spent much of Wednesday morning removing Columbus’ name, the dates commemorating the 500th anniversary of his 1492 voyage and a carved image of his head. Later Wednesday, workers with the four-business consortium that forms Concept Design Group wrapped the obelisk in bright blue plastic until the planned renovations can be completed.

A bench with a reference to the Columbus Committee was removed from the site to be reworked to remove the name and then will be returned.

A porcelain globe with color images of the Italian and American flags will replace the Columbus image, and a granite plaque will be inserted saying the monument is dedicated to the Italian immigrants who settled in Norwich. The new features “will look like they’ve always been there,” Jacaruso said.

“We’re going to address the Columbus that people are sensitive to, and take care of that,” he said, “and hopefully we can all live together in happiness and harmony.”

The Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee had been considering altering the monument last week in light of intensifying opposition to Columbus statues in Connecticut and elsewhere. An online petition started on Friday sought removal of the Norwich monument.

Jacaruso said committee members have received phone calls objecting to the alterations, saying they should leave the monument alone. But he said because the images were offensive, it could lead some people “to go to extremes” and risk having the monument destroyed.

Frank Manfredi, vice president of the committee, said the original cost estimate for the alterations was $9,100, but the committee hopes the final cost will be lower. Members of the three Italian organizations, the cultural committee, the Men’s United Italian Society of Norwich and the women’s society, will raise money to pay for the alterations, perhaps holding a fundraiser.

The Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee hosts the annual A Taste of Italy festival in September, but the event is canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The committee now is planning a small rededication ceremony for the monument on Sept. 12, the day the festival had been scheduled.

Arturo Montorsi, president of the Men’s United Italian Society, said he understands the feelings of protesters demanding equal treatment in society and employment. He recalled the large signs that once adorned businesses saying Italians were not welcome.

Montorsi spoke to the audience in Italian and then translated himself, saying the problem of the connection to Columbus: “It goes away, OK? God Bless America.”

c.bessette@theday.com