The county board of supervisors agreed by consensus last week to get cost estimates for replacing the steel structure holding the bells at the top of the Mahanay Bell Tower. The board met with Bell Tower Community Foundation president Carole Custer for a conference call with Tim Verdin, production manager of the I.T. Verdin Company of Cincinnati, OH, the company from which the bells were purchased.
The call was a follow up to a similar call last July in which Verdin explained the steel structure has deteriorated and needs repair after nearly 50 years of 24/7 exposure to the Iowa weather. Fourteen bells sit atop the bell tower, and another 15 bells have been purchased but not hung. The Bell Tower Foundation’s goal has always been to purchase and hang another 19 bells to complete a full 48-bell carillon.
Verdin told the supervisors that over the years, his company’s file for the Mahanay tower has grown to be 12 inches thick. He said that in going through the file carefully, he found that Verdin and MHF Engineering had inadvertently duplicated cost estimates to assure the 168-foot tower could bear the 40,000 pound weight load if the full complement of 48 bells is eventually hung. Verdin and local engineer John Milligan agree that the tower can support that much weight. Eliminating the duplication in cost projections decreases the total cost to complete the carillon by about $500,000.
Verdin said that with the information about weight bearing capacity, it is possible to plan and construct a 48-bell frame that would fit in the footprint of the current frame. He said it would be possible to remove the current frame and simply bolt on a new, redesigned frame.
He said that in a recent conversation with Custer, she suggested a longer term plan. Verdin paraphrased Custer’s comment that the Foundation would not want to have wasted money repairing the 14-bell support structure if a decision is made to move ahead with the full 48-bell carillon.
Supervisor Guy Richardson said the supervisors agree with the logic of moving ahead in the most economical way assuming a future plan for 48 bells.
“The best step forward is to replace the 14-bell frame with a 48-bell frame, and even if we don’t go forward with any more bells right now… even if we don’t go forward with more bells for several years, it doesn’t matter because everything is there,” Verdin said.
The 15 upper octave bells in the courthouse would be hung for display only. Verdin said they would not be used to play music until the remaining middle octave bells are hung. “That would be a good way to excite people. They could see a progression toward the ultimate goal of a four-octave carillon,” Verdin said about hanging more bells.
There are only 160 carillons in the U.S., Verdin said, and only about 400 in the world. “What you have is very rare. There aren’t a lot out there,” he said.
Verdin will provide a proposal for replacing the current deteriorated frame with a new 48-bell frame. The proposal will include the cost of hanging the 14 bells now on the tower and the 15 bells now in the lobby of the courthouse, as well as replacing the strikers on the 14 bells.
Verdin suggested the supervisors hire a structural engineer to verify that the 20-year old evaluation of the tower’s weight-bearing capacity is still correct and meets current specifications. The supervisors said they would use Milligan’s services for that.
According to county auditor Jane Heun, the county budget typically includes a general services line item of $40,000 for the courthouse and/or the Bell Tower. Many years that line item is not used or is only partially expended. The budget also includes a $6,500 line item for Bell Tower maintenance and repair. That line item covers elevator maintenance, inspection, and any electrical or other work needed, as well as occasional window cleaning. ~by Victoria Riley
