Bronze: $37,000
-
No formal proposal
or plan of action
-
Higher initial
cost & high annual maintenance costs of $360+ per year
-
Portrayed as
"maintenance free" until after Nov. 2nd bronze vote
-
Maintenance costs
are vague and not comprehensive
-
Professional or
conservator required for coating maintenance and inspections
-
Special equipment
needed for maintenance not accounted for in cost estimates
-
Resealing requires
caustic chemicals & removal to reseal "contact" surfaces
-
Good material but
not under the special circumstances of our monument
-
Not historically
original & aesthetically out of tune with surroundings
-
Mounting will
require additional drilling and risks splitting marble cap stone
-
Untimely maintenance results in green
figure and permanent staining of marble pedestal
Maintenance:
-
10 year cost of
$3,600+ of taxpayer dollars for entire life of statue
-
Initial sealing of
the bronze with an Incralac protective coating (avg. $900)
-
Annual inspection
of the Incralac coating for wear and failure
-
Annual treatment
with a "preservative wash" or wax ($300/year)
-
"Spot" treatments
on Incralac failure points between resealing treatments
-
Removal of soldier
from monument & resealing of the bronze every 5-10 years (avg.
$900 for coating alone)
-
Failure to perform this will result in
permanent green staining of monument pedestal and the figure
itself turning bright green
Marble: $35,000
-
Comprehensive
proposal & contract ready for approval & execution
-
Lower initial cost
& low maintenance that can be performed by grounds staff
-
Will be exact
duplicate of original
-
Revolutionary &
high-tech robotic CNC milling of statue to form in Italy
-
Sculptor will
apply final finishing to statue in Lincoln for public viewing
-
Tourism benefits
due to being one of the first civil war era monuments to be
remade with this revolutionary process & remade back to its
original form
-
High quality
Italian Cararra marble that is very strong (15,000 lbs/sq in.
compress.)
-
Documentary video
will be made of the entire process to be used for educational
purposes and marketing by robotics company & sculptor
-
Historically
accurate and aesthetically matches surrounding materials &
structures
-
Mounting uses
existing holes with stainless steel pins
-
No risk of staining existing monument
Maintenance:
- Low Maintenance (light washing yearly by grounds staff)
Since the County will be assuming all responsibility for
the care of the new soldier figure and the remaining monument, it is
imperative that the exact costs, procedures, maintenance
requirements, and risks of this project should be known and planned
for. The County will also be responsible for orchestrating these
procedures so they will be performed in a timely manner. Maintenance
is a big factor in either the longevity of a material or its
failure. Future generations will be more likely to perform proper
maintenance on a material that is easy and inexpensive to care for.
[to top of second column] |
 Bronze is a good material, but not under the unique circumstances
surrounding our marble monument. The maintenance outcome of the
bronze has only two possibilities: one, the proper care of the
bronze according to a strict maintenance regimen that is both
expensive and labor intensive or two, the lack of proper care that
will result in a green, corroded bronze figure and, more
importantly, the permanent green staining of the monument
pedestal below as a result of untimely care. Prior to the November
2nd bronze vote, the bronze was proposed as "maintenance free." A
letter from the foundry on December 21st, 2009 added a requirement
of annual maintenance and a 10 year resealing at a cost of
$800-$1,000. Below are some of the steps involved in the care of
bronze:
-
Initial sealing of
the bronze with an Incralac protective coating
-
Annual inspection
of the Incralac coating for wear and failure
-
Annual treatment
with a "preservative wash" or wax
-
"Spot" treatments
on Incralac failure points between resealing treatments
-
Removal of soldier
from monument & resealing of the bronze every 5-10 years
-
Failure to perform this will result in
permanent green staining of monument pedestal and the
figure itself turning bright green
According to the minutes of April 5th, an annual maintenance cost
of $300 per year is required on top of the $800-$1,000 10-year
resealing cost. None of these costs specify whether that includes
the stripping of the old coating and who would do the work for this
price. A proper estimate on cost should be gathered from a
professional that could perform the work. Conservation sources
indicate 10 years as the maximum lifespan for the Incralac coating
and state a more realistic life expectancy of 5-10 years. Those
sources also indicate the proposed $800-$1,000 cost estimate as a
"conservative" estimate. The coating's lifespan will be at its max
on a newly founded bronze and will decrease with subsequent
coatings.
Not considered in these costs and procedures are the costs and
logistics of the special equipment needed to perform them and the
employment of trained professionals. Since we are dealing with a 17'
elevation to the figure, any maintenance or inspection performed on
the bronze figure will need scaffolding or a mechanical lift.
Removal and reinstallation of the bronze figure will require a
crane. Since there is not much space for equipment, special
accommodations will have to be made before performing a task. For a
full recoating, the figure will need to be removed from the pedestal
in order to seal the bottom portion of the bronze where it makes
contact with the marble cap. The coating will erode here causing
staining and corrosion that cannot be arrested with an in-place
treatment. The chemicals used in the bronze maintenance are
extremely caustic.
As for the marble, it will require little maintenance other than
routine washings to remove dirt and debris. This can be performed
from the ground to properly reach the figure.
[Text copied from file received] |
