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 It was a cool day with a nice breeze that carried the aroma of
some excellent food, while children played on the lawn and parents,
grandparents, other family and friends sat at tables visiting and
enjoying being part of small town life.
The day kicked off with the Saturday Market event, and at 11 a.m. an
additional attraction began forming on the lawn; a fundraiser meal
sponsored by the Zion Lutheran Church and School. The day was also
dubbed as a “Baseball Saturday” as everyone was encouraged to wear
their favorite baseball shirt, either Cardinals or Cubs.
Later in the day, the Cards versus Cubs game would play over the
loud speakers, and an official scoreboard was set up so those in
attendance could watch and root for their favorite team.
At 12:30 p.m. a third special event took place, the grand reopening
of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse. The courthouse recently underwent
some major repair to the roof and some of the trusses that tied the
roof to the brick walls of the building.
 The restoration project began in June. For a portion of the work,
the entire courthouse was closed to the public. As soon as it was
safe and feasible, the ground floor of the courthouse re-opened and
the upstairs area was restricted.
It took only a few weeks for the work to be completed, and as soon
as it was done, the courthouse re-opened for visitors.
This past weekend Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation representative
Tom Martin, talked about the new roof, noting that the courthouse
had been opened for a while, but the Foundation had chosen this time
for the official celebration.
Martin said the work had gone very well, and that there was now a
new metal roof on the treasured building. He joked that it was not a
red roof, then explained that the underlayment for the roof and been
red, and some folks saw that going on and thought it was the final
product. He quipped that ‘you don’t think people are paying
attention until they see a red roof on the courthouse.”
Martin said that more good news was that the project had come in
well under budget. The foundation had funded the project on its own,
working through and with the State of Illinois and the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency. The state estimated the dollar amount
designated to the project should be $200,000. Martin said the work
was done for about $140,000, leaving the Courthouse Foundation with
about $60,000 it could put back in the kitty for the next project,
the restoration of the exterior brick. Martin was filled with excitement as he spoke about the Mount
Pulaski community. He noted that in about four years the community
had raised one-half million dollars for the courthouse. He noted how
remarkable that was, and reminded everyone that the courthouse
building was not just about the city of Mount Pulaski, it was about
the people of Mount Pulaski, and the love they have for their
landmark.
The next major project would be the restoration of the exterior
brick. Martin explained how well-meaning folks previously made the
effort to take care of the exterior of the building by adding a
brick red colored paint. However, the paint used was not healthy for
brick. It sealed the bricks too thoroughly, and trapped moisture
inside the building because the brick could not “breath” as it
needed to. This caused dampness inside the building that has caused
big issues with peeling paint on the walls. Martin said now through the Fall Festival weekend in September; there will be an
opportunity for visitors to the courthouse to express their opinion on how the
building should be restored. He noted that most of the current population have
always known the courthouse to be painted brick red, and so that would be one
option. The second option was to strip the paint, restore the soft bricks and
leave the building in a natural state. He then noted that in the history of the
courthouse, there was a time when the building was painted schoolhouse white,
and that would be the third option. Martin encouraged everyone on Saturday to
stop inside the courthouse and cast their vote.
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As part of the grand re-opening, there was a ribbon cut held featuring Dean and
Doris Cates, and Phil and Gini Bertoni, as the guests of honor snipping the
ribbon.
Martin introduced the four saying that the Cates have been supporters of the
Mount Pulaski Courthouse for a very long time. Contributing as needed whatever
was needed to help keep the building up and running for future generations.
He noted that Phil and Gini now live in Indiana, but are still huge supporters
of Mount Pulaski and the courthouse in their own right. In addition, Martin
noted that the Bertoni’s were there representing Phil’s uncle and aunt, Waldo
and Rosalie Bertoni, whom at their passing gave $250,000 to the courthouse, and
thus provided the seed money for the ongoing “Abe’s Million” fundraiser by the
Courthouse Foundation.
Phil spoke about his aunt and uncle and what they accomplished in their
lifetime. He spoke from the heart and with emotion when he recalled that his
uncle was the son of an Italian immigrant, who came to America, and embraced
this country, serving first by being accepted into the West Point Military
Academy, then enjoying a rich military career. He and Rosalie returned to Mount
Pulaski in 2005.
Bertoni noted that though his uncle did great things, he never forgot his home
in Mount Pulaski, and was proud to serve on the Mount Pulaski 175th Committee,
as well as on the board at Lincoln College. Waldo and Rosalie had one son, who
died in an accident when he was only 18 years old.
The couple had lived a successful life and had accumulated some wealth. With no
direct heir to leave this to, the two decided that they wanted to support their
home town and the community. Waldo passed away on October 8th, 2011. Rosalie
passed away on October 30, 2013. After her death, the remainder of the Bertoni
estate was bequeathed to the Mount Pulaski Courthouse, Lincoln College, a church
in Mount Pulaski, and other local groups and organizations.
When it was time to cut the ribbon, Dean and Doris Cates each took an end, and
the Bertonis delivered the snip. Afterward, the four guests of honor were joined
on the courthouse steps by members of the Courthouse Foundation for group
photos.
[Nila Smith]
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