By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
“If the roof leaks are not repaired, the entire structure, along with the collections, will be jeopardized,” said Sandy Collier, president of the Adams County Historical Society. “The community would risk losing a major piece of Adams County history.
“We would be extremely grateful for any and all donations.”
Collier was referring to expensive roof repairs needed at its Dugan Mansion Museum in Decatur.
With spring rains coming, time is of the essence. A portion of the work has been done, but much more is needed – as are donations!
In all, the repair work is expected to run close to $60,000, of which the society’s reserves may be able to handle around $16,000. So, obviously, that leaves a major gap.
“We realize this is a lot of money to put into a roof,” Collier said. “But keep in mind the Dugan family built this house in 1902. The structure retains its original roof of slate tiles and copper valleys. Though the roof is 120 years old, we have been assured that the tiles will last another 50 years.”
(For ways to donate, see end of story.)
The valleys and flashing have become an issue, according to Collier. The metal has failed and pulled away and the nails have left holes which are causing leaks.
“The Dugan Mansion is one of the few remaining architectural gems of the county,” Collier noted. “The house is original in every aspect and remains an example of an earlier life style in our community. The collections housed within also offer a glimpse into our past. This former way of life should be preserved for future generations.”
The repair work has begun “as we could not afford to put it off,” Collier explained. “We had discovered at least five leaks late last fall. So, we felt it necessary to attend to these before spring rains began.”
The roof work has been divided into three phases:
1) Chimney work, $16,186.00;
2), Valley replacement, $23,645.00;
3), Flat roof, hip and ridge repair, $13,125.00.
Increasing the cost were some additional problems discovered when the older roofing material was being removed. That added another $6,000 to the total cost.
“As you can see, this is a very expensive project,” Collier underscored. “But it is one we knew that eventually we would have to face. As a non-profit, we are committed to being good stewards of our organization and collections.
“So we do have a savings held in reserve for this very concern. However, not nearly enough to meet the close to $60,000.00 expense.”
MOVING AHEAD: Wellman Brothers Inc., a fourth generation maintenance and restoration contractor in Coldwater, Ohio, was chosen to do the repair job and began last fall. “This is a company that has been caring for our roof since before 2015.” Colllier noted. “We have a strong working relationship with them and are confident in their ability.”
The first phase took about three weeks to complete, but no date has been established for phase 2.
“Hopefully, it will be soon,” Collier said. “We feel we can cover most of the $16,186.00 cost. But we still need about $43,770.00.
“The Adams County Community Foundation has just granted us $6,100 towards phase 2 and we have received donations of $1,900. We have also applied for a the Decatur facade grant. But we won’t know the results of that until later in the month. Also, the latter is a grant that must be matched by 50%.”
The Decatur resident said there could have been a savings had aluminum rather than copper be used.
“We did check into this, but the price difference is minimal,” Collier explained. “The expense is mostly due to labor. And, again, there is a caveat. It is difficult to find contractors in this area who are qualified to do the work as it is a specialized roofing system which calls for specific expertise and experience.”
So the historical society soldiers on, seeking funds for a desperately needed project.
“We realize this is a lot of money to put into a roof,” Colllier said. “But keep in mind that the Dugan family built this house in 1902. The structure retains its original roof of slate tiles and copper valleys. Though the roof is 120 years old, we have been assured that the tiles will last another 50 years.
“However, the valleys and flashing have become an issue. The metal has failed and pulled away and the nails have left holes which are causing leaks.
“The Dugan Mansion is one of the few remaining architectural gems of the county,” Collier continued. “The house is original in every aspect and remains an example of an earlier life style in our community. The collections housed within also offer a glimpse into our past This former way of life should be preserved for future generations.
“If the roof leaks are not repaired, the entire structure, along with the collections, will be jeopardized. The community would risk losing a major piece of Adams County history. We would be extremely grateful for any and all donations.”
There are two easy ways to donate: Mail a check to ACHS, PO Box 262, Decatur IN 46733 (Write ‘Roof Project ‘ in the memo line); or donate online at the society’s website www.AdamsCountyMuseum.org
