Tim Verdin, plant manager of Verdin Company, the company that forged and installed the bells in the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower, had good news when he talked with the Greene County supervisors Monday morning. The cost to complete the 48-bell carillon tower is much less than the $900,000 estimated 20 years ago.
Verdin arrived in Jefferson early Monday morning and inspected the tower, inside and out. His information to the supervisors was based on what he saw, and on a review of a paper file he said is 18 inches thick his company has kept of the bell tower since it was first designed in the 1960s. He started looking at the file two years ago when questions were raised about the steel structure that holds the bells.
When he saw the $900,000 estimate, he said he knew the price was wrong. “I know what a four octave carillon cost, and there’s no way that price was right,” he said. He said he tracked down one of the original engineers on the project and found that the 1990s proposal included structural engineering that had already been done when the project was designed.
There has been discussion in recent years that adding the bells to complete the carillon would require additional work to hold the weight. Verdin said that after looking at the original plans, he is certain the tower was designed to carry the full load of 48 bells. He said the structural steel in the tower will accommodate the weight. “Now what we need to do is figure out what we need to do to hang the rest of the bells,” he said.
He said the bells already hanging make up about 60 percent of the total weight of the full carillon. The heaviest bell yet to hang is 2,700 pounds. The next heaviest is 1,100 pounds, and the third largest weighs only 500 pounds. “The original engineers that designed and built the tower were very smart when they set that big, heavy duty stuff up there. They knew, they had a vision, that eventually there’d be this much weight up there, and they prepared for it well,” Verdin said. He added that the main frame is in good shape, with only a little rust that has not compromised the structure. He said the bell mounts, where there is more corrosion, can be replaced.
So, the scope of the project has changed from needing an entirely new structure to needing only to add a smaller structure to the existing structure. “That’s great news for everybody,” Verdin said. “It minimizes your crane time, it minimizes labor here and in our factory. If we didn’t discover anything else on the visit, it was worth the drive out (from Cincinnati) just to find that.”
County engineer Wade Weiss will do some testing on the frame, including the thickness of the steel. It will be coated to prevent further corrosion.
Unique among carillon towers: The good news about cost was amplified by Verdin’s enthusiasm for the tower. He grew up in the family business, but this trip was the first time he had seen the Mahanay tower. “The design of the tower is gorgeous. It’s awesome to see the bells fully exposed. You don’t see that often. Ninety-five percent of the time, the bells are hidden away in the tower where nobody sees them, so it’s really neat that the designers of the tower left the bells exposed so people can actually enjoy them. They’re beautiful. They really are works of art,” Verdin said. “The bad part is that they’re fully exposed. You get the brunt of snow, ice, rain, and sun. It all breaks down steel.”
He added that the bells are in perfect condition, but it’s a matter of protecting the support equipment and the ringing equipment.
He told of his approach to Jefferson. “It’s neat when you see the tower way outside the city,” he said. He remarked about the long drive with farm fields on either side, and wondering if he was going to the right place. “Then all of a sudden you see the tower, and it’s ‘Wow!’ The whole time I’m thinking that the internet says there’s a bell tower there, but really, you wonder. But when you first see the tower, it’s ‘Wow! This thing is really the focal point of the city.’ When you get closer, it’s such a unique design. You punch up Jefferson, Iowa, on the internet, the bell tower is the first thing that comes up. It’s so unique.”
He said the design implies a mentality of “go big or go home.” Of 160 cast bell carillon towers in the country, at least half are only two octaves (24 bells) and typically have a 1,900 pound bell as the largest. The largest bell in the Mahanay tower is 5,000 pounds.
“It’s very unique. It’s going to be something that’s very special for the community. Even in the carillon community across the country, this is one that’s going to be really neat,” Verdin said.
Next steps: The county has already committed to replacing the strikers on the five bells needed to play the Westminster chime. That will be done this summer at a cost of $32,000. The cost of replacing the strikers on the remaining nine bells that are hanging now is estimated at $36,000.
Verdin will work with Weiss on some engineering questions and develop a new plan. The project will include sandblasting and coating the existing structure, Weiss said. The unmounted bells that are on display in the courthouse also need striking mechanisms added. A cost for completing the project will be available after that step, hopefully in the next couple of months.
The county is responsible for maintenance of the tower. The Bell Tower Community Foundation is responsible for enhancements. “A major challenge is deciding which is the county’s cost and which is the Foundation’s cost,” said supervisor Guy Richardson, who is also a member of the Foundation. He asked Verdin to help determine which costs should considered maintenance and which would be enhancement.
Carole Custer, Foundation president, was at the meeting. She thanked the supervisors for moving forward with the project, including getting the five bells operational. She asked Verdin to tell of the company’s portable forge that allows bells to be cast anywhere. Since casting a bell in each of Ohio’s 88 counties to mark the state’s bicentennial in 2002, Verdin has cast bells all over the country. “It’s an event. It’s amazing to see the reception we get,” he said.
He suggested considering having a bell forged in Jefferson to mark the 50th anniversary of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower in 2016.
