Iola City Council members will await more information before deciding who will refurbish the Civil War statue that stood for decades in the Old Iola Cemetery.
Council members discussed Monday two options: allowing a museum and foundry based in Illinois to restore the white zinc statue for no charge, or pay a Topeka foundry to do the work.
The statue was most recently refurbished about 20 years ago in Topeka, but its white zinc surface is more susceptible to rust, corrosion or other damage than typical bronze or concrete statues.
Eric Pry, curator of a suburban Chicago museum, and Harry Spell, who owns a foundry, approached the city in recent months about repairing the statue free of charge. The only cost to the city would be to transport it to Illinois and back.
Interim City Administrator Corey Schinstock estimated transportation costs at $5,500, not counting insurance.
Schinstock said the foundry would disassemble the statue in order to make molds, which would allow the Illinois group to manufacture replica statues.
Schinstock and Parks Superintendent Berkley Kerr also reached out to the Topeka foundry that refurbished the statue previously. That cost estimate was $7,500.
Schinstock said he had no preference, other than voicing some concern about having the statue disassembled.
Council members Carl Slaugh and Nancy Ford said they’d likely opt for the work to be done in Illinois, citing the museum and foundry’s reputation — both have done work for the Smithsonian — but they, too, had questions.
Councilman Steve French wondered if the city also could get an appraisal of the statue — known affectionately as Ol’ Zachary — from the Illinois group. That would allow the city to properly insure the statue, he surmised.
And, if they were to create molds of the statue, perhaps a replica could be made for Iola and placed back in the cemetery, French suggested.
Ol’ Zachary, meanwhile, should remain indoors, and out of the elements, Mayor Jon Wells said, regardless of which option the city picks. He said the Historical Society or Bowlus Fine Arts Center would be ideal locations for Ol Zachary on a permanent loan basis.
The statue has been moved from the cemetery and moved into the Allen County Historical Society Museum until the city decides who should handle the repairs.
Schinstock said he would visit with City Attorney Bob Johnson to write up language for an agreement with the Illinois group if that option is picked by the Council. The agreement would specify the steps refurbishing the statue would entail. He’ll also determine the safest way to transport the 600-pound statue.
MONDAY’S meeting featured a number of relatively routine matters.
— Sean Gordon, certified public accountant with Gordon P.A., gave Iola’s 2019 budget a clean report.
