Losing long-living louvers
Staff writer
While Marion’s courthouse clock tower has been painstakingly repaired and maintained since its construction in 1906, some pieces of the tower are showing their age.
Multiple wooden louvers — window slats which allow sound to escape — have broken off the west side of the tower in recent weeks.
On Monday, the county commission approved a plan to repair and repaint the louvers at the cost of $5,275.
The plan also will see the clock tower’s cupola repainted.
While the louvers are not original, they still are fairly old, according to the building’s maintenance specialist, Kevin Moon.
Wood rot and rough Kansas weather have affected them over the years.
“I know the old maintenance guy has replaced one or two of them before,” Moon said. “They’re not extremely strong.”
Three louvers broke off of the tower roughly a month ago, according to Moon.
“There was one little piece on the lawn, and then we had a couple pieces, a couple louvers, on top of the roof,” he said. “We don’t want them falling off, and we definitely don’t want them hurting anybody.”
County administrator Tina Spencer added that “the wind just started wreaking havoc” with the wooden slats.
The county could not provide a date when the louvers would be fixed.
While commissioners approved repair costs, they found the $10,752 cost to rent an aerial lift too expensive.
They are exploring alternate options to get the repairman to the necessary height.
The clock operates without any electricity. Instead, the “winder” — county appraiser Mike Hurst — goes up into the tower to crank the clock’s levers once a week. Weights keep the clock in motion.
The lever that produces the clock’s chime takes 200 pulls; the lever that keeps its pendulum moving takes 25 more. The whole affair takes roughly 30 minutes, according to Hurst.
“You’re getting a pretty good cardio workout,” he said.