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The Civil War soldier that stood outside the Logan County Courthouse
for 141 years fell during a windstorm in December of 2007.
The white stone soldier that topped a white stone monument was
erected in 1869 and dedicated to all the soldiers from Logan County
who sacrificed their lives in the Civil War. It was one of the
earliest Civil War monuments in the country.
The Logan County Board Buildings and Grounds Committee recognized
the substantial work it would take to determine what materials
should be used for its replacement, find a sculptor and raise the
extra funding needed beyond what the insurance would provide, and
decidedly delegated those tasks to a subcommittee.
With 10 of 15 members present at its meeting on Nov. 2, 2009, the
subcommittee voted: five for bronze, four for marble and one voted
present.
Bronze was found to be within the price range and offers beauty,
artistic benefits, strength and durability.
When the buildings and grounds committee met Tuesday evening, they
were briefed on the progress of those plans.
Four members of the statue subcommittee were present: Bill
Donath, Paul Gleason, Eleanor Gunderson and David Doolin. Gleason
said that there are now enough funds to put the statue up, but that
the subcommittee is still raising funds for memorial nameplates.
The subcommittee also had in hand a contract approved by the
state's attorney that would allow a sculptor to begin reproduction
of the statue in bronze at a cost of $37,000. This would include
$1,600 to purchase the mold so no other statues could be made like
ours.
Following this announcement, Doolin was granted the floor. He
said that he had additional research he had done since November that
he felt would merit another look at what material should be used. He
had consulted several historical monument and materials experts,
including an expert on Civil War-era monuments and bronze
conservation: Dennis Montagna, director of monument research and
preservation for the National Park Service. (See Montagna's
qualifications and his
letter
of recommendation.)
Doolin presented a compilation of documentation that addresses
historical value, aesthetic appeal, durability, what's available,
maintenance and cost comparisons for marble and bronze
reproductions.
The original statue was supposed to be made from a strong marble,
but for some unknown reason was made with a lesser quality material.
It weakened and broke at the ankles, Doolin explained.
There is a new process that would be used to create a plaster
model that would then be sent to Italy if the statue were to be made
from Carrara marble. The proposed marble is much stronger than the
original stone that was used.
Doolin said that a quality marble reproduction could be created
and installed in six months for $35,000.
Gleason commented that the committee had wanted the statue to
stay "American-made."
One of the primary differences between bronze and marble is the
maintenance. This was some of the detailed discovery that Doolin
found in his research that he'd like to see worked out before a
commitment is made. (See reproduction
and maintenance cost comparisons for bronze and marble.)
He said he found examples that bronze maintenance can be as high
as $360 a year, with costs of $800 to $1,000 to $4,000 about every
10 years. It is recommended to wax yearly, and there needs to be
periodic recoating of the clear lacquer coating.
Maintenance for either material would be needed and require a
power washer, cherry picker and some expense. Marble maintenance was
estimated to be about $200 a year less.
Stewart pointed out that it probably would do no good to plan for
the county to provide the maintenance. There is no courthouse or
county employee to do maintenance work. He identified a number of
recommended maintenance chores on county properties that currently
are not being performed, such as the courthouse's rubber roof, which
is supposed to be washed every two years and has not been touched in
over 15 years.
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Buildings and grounds committeewoman Jan Schumacher said, "I have
concerns about the green (if it were bronze), if it bled on the
bottom (the monument portion)." (See
photos of bronze
monuments.)
She acknowledged the work of the committee, saying, "It is
wonderful to see people step up and want to help with the statue;
we're grateful for that." And she added, "But, we're the final
decision-makers. I feel new information brought forth is worth
considering."
Committeeman Pat O'Neill, observing the $2,000 lower reproduction
and less maintenance costs for marble, commented, "I don't think
this would be taking a back seat, and it would be a savings to the
taxpayer."
Doolin acknowledged that he had not yet presented all of the new
information to the statue committee, but that he would like the
opportunity to do so.
Committee chairman John Stewart said that with two of their
members absent, he'd rather not take it to a vote that night.
Stewart also recognized that the subcommittee should be allowed
the opportunity to reconsider its decision with this new
information.
"We've entrusted you to make that decision," he said. "If we were
going to make that decision, then we didn't need a subcommittee and
we wasted a lot of your time meeting for the last year and a half."
Committeewoman Gloria Luster said she recognized that the
subcommittee is composed of people who care about the county. She
challenged them to put all differences aside when they meet.
"When the members of the subcommittee hear all information, I put
my trust that they're going to come up with the right thing," she
said.
Schumacher added that if bronze is the choice that comes back
from the subcommittee, then when the county votes on the
reproduction contract, she'd like to have a plan included for its
maintenance also.
The committee members encouraged the subcommittee to be open and
look at everything objectively when they meet next month on Aug. 11
at 7 p.m. at the Genealogical Society building across from the
Depot.
The buildings and grounds committee will have already met for the
month, but committee members agreed to bring the subcommittee's
final recommendation to the full board when the county's board of
whole meets on Aug. 12.
Stewart, the committee chairman, said he would support and
promote to the board whatever the subcommittee decided.
A final approval on the contract to reproduce the statue could be
made at the board's adjourned session on Aug 17.
[By
JAN YOUNGQUIST]
Past related information
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