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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.
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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.
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] |
