By John Estridge
In 1624, the poet cleric John Donne wrote the line “for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
While it is claimed he was thinking metaphysically at the time because he had just survived a life-threatening illness, he might have had an inkling to the future of a situation in Franklin County during the ill-favored year of 2020.
The bell tower on top of the Franklin County Courthouse has been the topic of conversation with the county commissioners and county council for a number of months, but that topic has really become loud as of late.
And whether the bell tower contains a bell is somewhat debatable.
Several months ago a passerby on Main Street in Brookville contacted county employees and told them the bell tower was leaning.
Upon inspection, officials learned there was major damage to the supports to the bell tower and there is legitimate concern the bell tower could fall off the courthouse in a bad storm.
Most of the county officials have been adamant in fixing or replacing the bell tower. Drones were flown, experts investigated and now quotes are coming in.
At the last Franklin County Council meeting, council members and commission president Tom Linkel were talking about the cost of fixing the bell tower. Council was discussing how to spend a $1.1 million bond that was recently passed. The money was intended to buy equipment for different offices within the county as well as replacing expensive equipment at the highway department.
However, the majority on council and all the commissioners want to use a large portion of the money on the bell tower situation.
Council member Joe Gillespie and Linkel said they believed $300,000 would cover the bell tower replacement. Council members Glen Bischoff and Jeff Koch said the number was low with Koch expressing the belief it will be around $500,000.
When pressed on the amount of money associated with the quotes that were coming into the commissioners, Linkel deferred saying all the quotes were not in, and he did not want to divulge the amount some contractors had expressed at this point. Also, Linkel said it has been difficult to even get contractors to come to the site to see the situation and take measurements for estimates because contractors are so busy at this time.
Earlier Linkel, who is also in charge of the highway department, said while there are great needs at the highway department, he said the bell tower project was more important. However, Linkel told the council members there is a pressing need to purchase two tandem dump trucks for the highway department.
These will be used for all duties needed by the highway department but several times he and others called them snow trucks. He said things are so backed up at places making the dump trucks, there is going to be a seven to eight month wait after the order is put in to receive the trucks. He said the cost for the two dump trucks will be $325,000. And he needs to have the money obligated as soon as possible so he can get an order in and the process started.
Where Bischoff said the bell tower estimate was too low, he seemed shocked by the price tag for the two dump trucks, but Linkel assured him that is the going rate. That includes all the equipment the dump truck needs for its use, Linkel and others told Bischoff.
Koch and council member Scott McDonough said the Finance Committee within council should get together again and look over the money and the possible uses for the money. Council member Rebecca Oglesby, who is also a Finance Committee member, does not want to spend the money on the bell tower and just put a roof on where the bell tower sits. She said there are more pressing needs within the other departments.
Gillespie countered the bond money should not be spent on things that depreciate, and money from the Cumulative Capital Projects Fund should be spent on those items that depreciate.
Oglesby then said there is a need for a new roof on the courthouse and that has not been included in the estimate.
McDonough stated he is also in favor of replacing the bell tower and making sure the county highway gets its trucks. He said all the other requests should be put on hold until after the cost for the bell tower is confirmed and after the money for the dump trucks is obligated.