Work to repair and repaint the Bennington Town Hall cupola is expected to begin this summer.
The cupola is the white, hollow frame structure that sits atop the Town Hall and supports the weather vane. Pieces of the wooden structure have broken off, cracked or rotted, and are need of replacement.
Town Administrator Deb Davidson said the scope of work includes cleaning the area of the roof, removing rust, repainting the roof with metal paint and replacing any rotten wood. The old paint will be scraped off the cupola, which will be repainted.
“It’s long overdue,” Davidson said. “It should have been done a long time ago.”
The Select Board received a single bid for the work, from Matt Harwood of Harwood Painting in Hancock. Harwood’s estimate was between $15,000 and $20,000 for the entire project, depending on the extent of the damage. The cost of the repairs will be taken from the town’s building maintenance capital reserve fund.
Davidson said the town has worked with Harwood in the past, including maintenance on the tin ceiling in the gymnasium, and has been satisfied with his work. The board approved his bid, and work is expected to begin this summer.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.