PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania judge will mediate a dispute over a statue of explorer Christopher Columbus in a Pittsburgh park.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay declared an impasse in the dispute between the city of Pittsburgh and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America over the Columbus statue in Schenley Park, a Pittsburgh news outlet reported.

McVay issued an order last week instructing the parties to identify who will participate from each side during the mediation, which has not yet been scheduled.

City crews last fall covered the 13-foot statue, which was erected in 1955, in advance of Columbus Day. The Pittsburgh Art Commission voted unanimously to remove the statue and Mayor Bill Peduto agreed, but the Italian Sons and Daughters of America filed a lawsuit.

McVay granted an injunction halting the removal of the statue, but urged the parties to try to reach consensus, saying “historical figures are people and necessarily come with heroic qualities along with character flaws” but also saying “racism, slavery and prejudice must always be condemned and rejected by our city.”