GREENFIELD — Poet’s Seat Tower will remain closed as the city determines how to pay for repairs that could cost up to $400,000.
The Ways and Means Committee voted on Tuesday to recommend that the full City Council authorize Mayor Ginny Desorgher to borrow up to $100,000 to begin repairs on the tower, which has been closed since May.
“It’s going to be more than that, significantly more than that,” Desorgher said, referring to the $100,000 figure. “But we really need to get started.”
During a visual inspection of the 1912 sandstone tower that took place in May, a building inspector found cracks — including one running from the I-beam under the observation deck to the arched window below — along with degraded welds and gaps in stair treads and crumbling mortar. At the time, Communications Director Jonathon Weber said a structural engineer would need to be hired to conduct a review and determine the full extent of repairs needed.
At Tuesday’s Ways and Means Committee meeting, Desorgher said the city has spoken to a few engineers who have taken an initial look at the tower. The city has received a loose $400,000 estimate for repair costs, but a complete review and an outline of necessary work have not been completed. That alone is expected to cost approximately $10,000.
The sandstone tower as it appears today was constructed in 1912, replacing the prior wooden structure that was built in the late 1800s. The tower was named for Frederick Goddard Tuckerman, a local poet who died in 1873. He was known for going up the hill to the highest point in Greenfield and being inspired by the view.
Over the more than 100 years the tower has been standing, it has undergone multiple repairs. According to Greenfield Recorder archives, in 2017, the tower underwent approximately $50,000 worth of cracked mortar replacement, replacing loose stones and sills. In 2010, repairs were needed to the lighting system, and in 1977, the tower underwent approximately $22,000 in railing fixes.
Desorgher said the city will look into grant opportunities and funding issued to maintain properties on the National Register of Historic Places to support the work as well.
Ways and Means Committee members voted unanimously to recommend the full City Council give the mayor authority to borrow up to $100,000. Precinct 9 Councilor Max Webbe was not in attendance on Tuesday.
“It’s a Greenfield treasure,” At-Large Councilor Maisie Sibbison-Alves said of the tower.
City Council is expected to discuss and vote on authorizing the mayor to borrow up to $100,000 at its meeting next week.
