Officials to address statue’s condition
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners today are expected to declare an emergency situation exists relative to the condition of the Gen. Nathanael Greene statue that sits atop the dome of the county courthouse.
By making the declaration, the county can bypass bidding requirements and procure the services of a qualified contractor to begin work immediately.
The commissioners’ decision to follow this procedure comes after EADS Architects of Somerset made an examination of the statue earlier this month. The firm discovered:
• The structural support system/rafters that span the perimeter of the interior of the dome to a center post are in deterioriated condition. Three rafters were so rotted the wood could be pulled apart by hand. The condition of the remaining rafters is questionable as they are not visible. Based on what could be seen, the stability of the dome structure is questionable.
• The dome’s wood decking is deteriorated, specifically the center area below the statue.
• The metal rods that penetrate the dome/roof and hold down the statue are loose. This indicates the statue may not be firmly anchored. Further, the supports for the statue may be integral with the dome structure framing and the deterioration observed may have compromised the integrity of the dome structure, creating an unsafe condition.
• The rear support is not properly flashed and water is penetrating the roof. The water leaks appear to have been ongoing for some time and would be the probable cause for the deterioration of the decking and the wood structure.
Peter J. Follen, manager of architecture with EADS, told the commissioners in a letter that, “It is our opinion that these problems must be addressed immediately. It is not possible to predict how long the roof structure and the statue will continue to remain in place,” Follen said.
Moreover, he said the statue should be removed as soon as possible and the roof structure, the decking and the roofing system should be repaired or replaced.
“We further recommend the statue be replaced with a lighter weight structural fiberglass replica, and lightning protection be installed with the replacement statue,” Follen said. “The situation, in our opinion, is critical.”
The present 10-foot statue, carved out of Greene County poplar by the late Miles Davin Sr., has been standing tall on the roof of the courthouse the last 15 years.
The first figure of Greene was set in place when the courthouse was built in 1850, but it was destroyed by a wind-whipped spark from the Downey House Hotel fire on Christmas Day 1925.
The replacement statue was designed by John Pauley of Waynesburg and carved by Albert Wise, a carpenter with Acklin Lumber Co. It had black walnut eyes and a copper hat. Inch-thick rods ran from the hips through the bottom of the feet. It was placed on top of the dome Nov. 17, 1927, and remained there until it was removed in 1997.
That particular statue of Gen. Greene, for whom the county was named, stood in quiet dignity on top of the courthouse for 70 years before it was lowered to the ground in 1997.
Davin completed his work a year later and in Sept. 1998, the statue now in question was placed on top of the dome.
Davin reportedly told the commissioners if it did not last 100 years, he would come back and fix it, but Davin died in 2008 at age 80. It’s possible, the commissioners feel, that since Davin died, no one has done any repair work on the statue, and that may account for its condition.