DCR Details $2M Fix for Mount Greylock Memorial Tower
 Improvements to the War Memorial will include replacing six metal halide lamps with 12 LED clusters, which need less frequent replacement. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The $2 million renovation of the War Memorial Tower at the summit of Mount Greylock in Adams will include an untested fix for water infiltration problems, but one that state officials seemed confident would work for at least 10 years.
Officials with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, along with a chief architect on the project, detailed the two-year project at DCR's West Regional Office on Thursday night. DCR Preservation Planner Jeffrey Harris said despite a reconstruction of the tower in the early 1970s and major repairs in the late 1990s, the tower still suffers from chronic problems with moisture.
Harris was quick to point out that the summit experiences "extreme climatic conditions" and that the tower itself can be subjected to freeze/thaw cycles in less than 24 hours.
"It can be encased in ice in the morning, the sun can melt the ice during the day, but then it's frozen again at night," he said. That damages the joints between the granite blocks – the result being water and ice in the tower itself. "The damage continues today," he said, and has accelerated in the last five years.
Architect George Katsoufis with DHK Architects said on a recent visit there was "two inches of sheet ice" in the marble-floored chamber that honors Massachusetts war veterans. He said water damage was widespread in the interior.
"But we have the A-Team" in terms of addressing the climatic challenges, including an engineering firm that he described as "forensic" in its abilities to track down root causes.
Katsoufis said a key element in the plan to stop water from infiltrating the tower will be "masonry double sealants" – essentially two lines of defense. He acknowledged the solution had not been tested in the kinds of weather that Mount Greylock experiences, but said the chosen contractor will be expected to subject the system in miniature at the summit itself. Even so, Katsoufis said it's expected the joints will need to be resealed – but not repointed – within 15 years.
"As an architect I welcome this challenge," he told the small group at the public meeting. "This is a very exciting project."
Other improvements are included in the price tag:
• Repairs to the beacon at the top of the tower, including replacing six metal halide lamps with 12 LED clusters. Katsoufis said attention will be paid to achieving the right color temperature of the new lamps, and that the beacon will appear to be as bright as it is today.
• Electrical system improvements to include new LED fixtures inside the tower.
• Accessibility improvements to eliminate barriers for all those wishing to visit the memorial.
• Commercial-grade dehumidifiers and fans.
• A new cap for the spiral stair rail.
During construction, the official route of the Appalachian Trail will change slightly. Purists will note that the trail will shift to the east to go around the tower (rather than right up to its base, as it does now).
The project is in the final design stages; the bidding phase will be in April 2015, if weather allows interested contractors to visit the site and see what challenges they will face. Construction is expected to begin in July 2015 with one-third of the work completed in that construction season, and the remainder in 2016.
The project is funded with $1.2 million from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and $800,000 from the federal Scenic Byways program.
The tower was built in 1931-32 and dedicated in 1933; but just a few years later moisture problems were becoming apparent. The memorial was condemned and closed from 1962 to 1973, when it was completely reconstructed.
More recently the state spent $21 million to rebuild the deteriorating roadways to the summit, a million dollars for "interpretive development" and $450,000 to renovate Bascom Lodge. The tower has remained a problem and was closed in 2013 to the tens of thousands of visitors who drive and hike to the top.
Information and the complete presentation will be posted here at some point Friday.
Tags: DCR, Mount Greylock, reconstruction, war memorial,
