Indiana’s unpredictable winter weather is being blamed for the deterioration of the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans.
Three years ago, an unusual level of erosion was discovered on several base pieces of the 25 Indiana limestone pillars at the memorial, located southwest of the county courthouse.
The commissioners received a $48,000 quote to replace broken pieces back in 2016, but county finances were too tight at that time to make the repairs.
Delaying a fix for this type of problem can be expensive. The commissioners announced they had set aside $300,000 to make repairs to the memorial last spring.
In January, the county agreed to pay Dunlap and Co. Inc. $7,500 to track down the cause of the deterioration, and hand over their details to DLZ Indiana, an engineering and design firm, to come up with solutions.
The investigation shows the bottom section of limestone veneer either flaking or being crushed under heavy weight, commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said. Much of the damage can be traced to water freezing and thawing under the veneer — just as asphalt breaks up by continuous freezing and thawing of water in the winter, Kleinhenz said.
Most of the veneer will be totally replaced, the commissioner said. Workers will pull up the granite, recut it, and then reset it with an expansion joint, Kleinhenz said.
But DLZ project manager Charlie Day says lighting, rather than damaged veneer, has been the most challenging aspect of the project over the past six weeks.
After seeking out four different vendors in search of lights that can fit in holes cut in the granite, no exact fit could be found, Day said.
Luckily, DLZ officials did track down a light that was only one-sixteenth of an inch off in diameter from the hole. Day expressed confidence that type of light will work just as long as a strong sealant is placed around it.
At this time, DLZ is running tests to see if lights can be placed with different colors at different heights within the memorial — including from the floor, Day said. When and if his firm develops a lighting plan that is both cost-efficient and aesthetically-pleasing, they will seek the approval of the commissioners before having it installed, Day said.
The commissioners hope to bid the improvements this fall, with the work completed either late this spring or this winter, Kleinhenz said.
No tax money was used to construct the memorial in 1997 at a cost of $1.5 million. The 40-feet high pillars are arranged in a 5×5 grid on the courthouse lawn.
