Published: June 29, 2009 09:11 pm      

In need of work

Mount Hope Cemetery staff hopes city will release funds to repair 70-year-old arch

Bob Bernhardt has faced an annual battle with decay at Mount Hope Cemetery’s welcome arch for as long as he can remember.

Bernhardt, a grounds foreman for 19 of his 20 years at Mount Hope, regularly uses cement to patch unsightly cracks formed as mortar falls away.

He said that this is done to prevent moisture getting underneath the mortar, which can cause the stones to become loose and create permanent damage.

But with the problem seemingly getting worse by the year, Bernhardt says that for the good of the structure a permanent solution is required, especially as cemetery staff is reduced.

“With less employees, it is becoming more difficult,” he said.

Sexton Mike Nicoll agreed that a yearly Band-Aid for the arch is no longer enough.

“The mortar is falling out,” Nicoll said. “It’s been there since 1937, and it just needs to be redone. A brick wall with mortar at over 70 years old is always going to need work. It’s in dire need of a redo.”

As a result the Logansport City Council will vote on whether to release funds for the repair project at its meeting next week after Councilman Jeremy Ashcraft alerted colleagues to the structure’s problems at a recent committee meeting.

Ashcraft said that he received a call from Nicoll about the condition of the arch a few weeks ago, and that led him to consult with community preservation specialist Paul Hayden of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana on the structure’s condition.

He said that while analysis by both a city and HLFI mason found the structure to be sound, work needs to be done soon to prevent the arch from becoming a safety hazard.

“It’s a case of if we don’t do something now, then in the next few years the structure will rapidly deteriorate. These repairs should last another 75 years.” Ashcraft said. “We just didn’t want to put another Band-Aid on it. We know times are tough, and there are a lot of things going on, but this is the kind of stuff that needs to happen to maintain the city.”

Nicoll said he had no estimate on costs for the work, but he said he felt that from the committee meeting council members were willing to work with a local contractor who would charge by the hour for the work.

“The masons will do a major dry out of the mortar to, I think, four inches back,” he said. “It’s all done with a special tool.”

Nicoll added that his hope, if the city council approves, is for the work to start immediately.

“I think it is going to be a resolution which only takes one reading,” he said.

The council will meet at 5 p.m. Monday.

• Kevin Smith is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at (574) 732-5148 or kevin.smith@pharostribune.com