SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Years after protestors tore down part of the obelisk in the middle of Santa Fe plaza, the city is now working to tear down the wooden box enclosing the obelisk. Story continues below Don't Miss: State medical board revokes Albuquerque neurosurgeon’s license Community: ‘We want to do right by this brand’: New owners of Marble Brewery speak out Crime: Otero County sheriff’s deputy facing murder charge after fatally shooting teen National: Do Americans want more states? Are we on the right track now? It’s been a controversy for years with starkly different opinions on what to do with the obelisk known as the soldier's monument. Plywood has surrounded the obelisk for years, but according to a court order, that's about to change. The city has started their work to remove it this week, but they also have to wash off graffiti that's on the remains of the obelisk “We had originally intended to do some kind of low-pressure power washing as it’s more effective in removing graffiti like this. Due to temperatures and their effect on the equipment and the potential effects of high-pressure water on stone, we decided to pivot in more of a hand washing technique,” said Sam Burnett with the City of Santa Fe Public Works Dept. Using brushes, rags, and steamers, the city has been working on removing graffiti that happened during the events that led to the box around the obelisk. In October 2020, protesters brought down the monument in the middle of Santa Fe Plaza because it commemorated Civil War soldiers who fought Native Americans and had a plaque referring to Indigenous people as "savages." Since then, the toppled portion has remained in storage, and the base encased in a wooden box.In December, a judge ordered the city to remove that wood within 30 days and gave the city 180 days to rebuild the monument. The city is removing the wood and said Santa Fe police brought in a camera wagon during this process to monitor and record activity on the plaza. “The primary thing we've done is added construction fencing. Kind of enclosing the area. The primary intention of that is just to help keep the public at a safe distance. Nothing falls over on them. Nothing splashes on them,” said Burnett. The city has taken down the first layer of plywood and plans to have the graffiti cleaned up by the end of the week. They hope to have the boards gone by the deadline on Sunday. “There may be a need to come back in the spring when we can use pressure washing and do some final clean up then,” added Burnett. Santa Fe City Council will meet Wednesday to go over what to do with the obelisk and that includes the possibility of appealing the court's ruling to restore the monument.