Repairs for Hermann City seeks proposals on how to

repair statue

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- In about six weeks, city officials will have a better idea of what it will take to restore the Hermann statue to its original glory and, more importantly, who is able to do it and at what cost.

"We set a deadline for submission of proposals for May 1," City Manager Brian Gramentz said.

"Then, the proposals will need to be analyzed, run past the Hermann Monument Restoration & Perpetual Maintenance Society, and we hope to present the selection to the City Council at its first meeting in June and have a contract signed by July 1."

The city has sent out one-page letters to over 600 firms and organizations across the country that do some type of preservation work.

"We first sent letters requesting proposals to 12 organizations that were on a list supplied by the Minnesota Historical Society. Then, we sent letters to firms from other lists who looked like they might do that type of work, and those 12 firms may have shown up on some of the other lists," Gramentz said.

Normally, the city would be asking for bids based upon the types and amounts of material needed to construct something. However, Hermann's restoration is an entirely different type of project.

While several large numbers have been bantered about, Gramentz said the project's cost can't really be determined until the submitted proposals have been analyzed. In other words, there are no engineer's estimates because Hermann's restoration is a unique project and requires a different approach.

"We're asking them to tell us how much it will cost, and it may not be the one with the lowest figure because we have to be sure that they can do the job."

That's also when city officials will learn whether Hermann can be repaired where he stands or if he will have to be shipped elsewhere for his refurbishing.

Even the project's time-line can't really be established, either, Gramentz said.

"In the proposal letter, we're suggesting that the city expects the project to be completed within a year. However, we may find out that's not possible. Even the start time is in doubt. We might find that someone who is available to start right away isn't as capable to do the job as a firm with more experience that can't start on it until January," he explained.

While the number of letters that were sent out sounds like a lot, Gramentz said there's no way of knowing how many legitimate proposals the city will get back.

"A lot of these may be someone who doesn't work with large objects. With Hermann being second only to the Statue of Liberty, someone who has worked with nothing bigger than a telephone wouldn't qualify," Gramentz said.

Further complicating the project is that Hermann is an amalgam of copper sheeting on the outside and structural steel on the inside, Gramentz said, "so we have a bunch of different issues going on."

Not the least of which involves the question of a stable stance for Hermann to see out the rest of this century.

The engineer hired by the city for about $1,000 to make recommendations on structural issues, Robert L. Sprengeler of LeSueur, is suggesting that a "a third leg of sorts" (actually a support post) be installed to give "Hermann of Cherusci" a three-point stance which would add "stiffness at the base of the statue."

As far as needed repairs, city officials now have the report of artisans Arnie Lillo of Good Thunder and David Hyduke of Kasota. Lillo and Hyduke were hired last year at a cost of $24,000 to do a thorough investigation of Hermann's physical condition -- inside and out -- after the statue was lowered to the ground in February 2003.

Perhaps most startling was their revelation that, in addition to what could be considered natural wear-and-tear, Hermann had suffered at the hands of man.

Lillo and Hyduke catalogued 106 bullet holes, 32 bullet "depressions" where the bullet failed to penetrate Hermann's copper hide, and 22 "shotgun blast impressions."

The shooters' favorite target over the years apparently was the back of Hermann's cape. His cape had been penetrated 42 times by bullets, 40 percent of the total number of bullet holes found in the statue, and there were 21 depressions (66 percent of all bullet depressions), and, of course, the 22 shotgun blast impressions.

So pervasive was the damage from bullets and shotgun blasts that it is easier to list where he wasn't hit. Lillo and Hyduke found no signs of bullet damage on his belt, directly under the cape, the right hand, face, neck and right foot.

But bullets weren't the only cause of holes. The artisan team, in getting a first serious look inside the statue, found numerous cases of sunken rivets or rivets that had rusted out, causing holes, as well as seams that had split.

"Upon first looking in the access hole, one is struck by the large amount of light streaming through the many holes and split seams in what was once a sealed structure," they wrote.

Lillo and Hyduke also were surprised to find a "large accumulation" of silica sand in the bottom of the cape.

"This sand was left from the sand-blasting and painting performed 30 years ago. This sand has held water further facilitating corrosion and is evidenced on the exterior of this area."

Then, there were the birds.

"There are other areas which hold nesting materials (including a nest with two eggs), and bird dung is quite prevalent," they wrote.

Repairs which had been made to the statue's right arm also drew their attention.

"Although these repairs have held for some time, we have found the welding to be generally deficient and supports added in a hasty makeshift manner and patching of the copper done with a dissimilar alloy and pop-rivets."

Their discovery of "significant flexion" in the statue's lower legs lends credence to Sprengeler's three-point base recommendation.

"Although this may be inherent to the original 2-point design of the sculpture, we find it to be deficient."

They also recommended the wood structure supporting the shield, which they had found to have deteriorated, "should be replaced with treated wood or other modern materials."

By and large, typical damage to the statue's exterior surface breaks down into six categories -- caulking, riveting, graffiti, patina, contour bar impressions and seam overlap, they wrote.

"Through the years there has been extensive repair caulking to holes and seams. Although some of this caulking has loosened or released, the vast majority remains intact."

The graffiti found on the statue presents a puzzle of sorts for the artisan team. While most of the graffiti is found at lower levels where there is easy public access, they wrote, "graffiti can also be found as high as the head and upraised arm where only workmen would have access," they wrote.

Then, there's seam overlap.

"Although the improper overlap of panels was inherent to the original design and is not truly considered damage, it might be considered a design flaw that has caused damage."

They also discovered that at one time an antenna mast had been attached to the back of the statue, obviously to take advantage of the statue's elevation at Hermann Heights Park.

Finally, there's the artisan team's recommendation that a system for ventilating the inside of the statue to dissipate solar-heated air and moisture be employed.

"If they're talking about having disguised holes around the head to create a natural venting of hot air, that's something I certainly could support, but if it's something where you have to crawl inside the statue to fix a motor or free up a vent, that's something I don't think we want to get into," Gramentz said.