As a member of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, Shelburne Rep. Shawn Sweeney is accustomed to seeing high-dollar construction estimates.
But when he found out how much it was going to cost to repair and restore the Bennington Battle Monument, Sweeney said, 鈥淢y jaw dropped.鈥�
Officials at the Department of Buildings and General Services say decades of deferred maintenance have taken a toll on the 306-foot-tall limestone structure. And they estimate the cost to rehabilitate the towering obelisk, and keep it viable as a popular historic site, could hit $40 million.
鈥淭hat is not something that I feel we can ask the taxpayers of Vermont to do,鈥� Sweeney said. 鈥淎nd it just doesn鈥檛 seem like it鈥檚 fiscally responsible.鈥�
More from 开云体育: The Bennington Battle Monument is full of water. Saving it could cost $40M
Sweeney, who owns a building design company, presented fellow members of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions on Tuesday with what he says is an alternative path forward that could cost as little as $10 million.
Instead of repairing and preserving the limestone that鈥檚 become saturated with an estimated 66,000 gallons of water, he wants to wrap the building in copper. An installed heat pump, along with natural convection action, he said, would dry out the old limestone naturally. And he said the copper would protect the building from new bouts of water damage in the future.
鈥淎nd we have like a new old historic battle monument,鈥� Sweeney said. 鈥淎nd you鈥檝e got a new structure that really talks about maybe our Vermont ingenuity, shows that we can adapt.鈥�
Officials at the Department of Buildings and General Services said Tuesday's presentation was the first they鈥檝e seen of Sweeney鈥檚 plan, and that they weren鈥檛 prepared to weigh in on its merits.
Laura Trieschmann, at the Division for Historic Preservation, said the state is still proceeding with planning for the next phase of its existing plan, which involves erecting scaffolding and placing an envelope around the building to dry it out.
Trieschmann said the building is 鈥渟tructurally sound and safe鈥� in the meantime, and will be opening to the public on May 16 鈥渇or what we hope will be a most successful season.鈥�
Bennington Rep. Mary Morrissey said the $40 million price tag presents an enormous hurdle for people who are committed to saving the monument. And she thanked Sweeney for his efforts to find a more fiscally realistic option.
鈥淚鈥檓 very appreciative of you taking the time and concern of saving (the monument), because I have to tell you, if it was even thought of to be taken down or 鈥� something else, we鈥檇 probably have World War III,鈥� Morrissey said.
She said the monument, which drew about 40,000 visitors in 2024 and generated about $276,000 in direct revenue, 鈥渋s kind of like Bennington鈥檚 symbol.鈥�
Bennington Rep. William Greer was also thankful for the concept. But he said the stone exterior is fundamental to the building鈥檚 aesthetic. A copper Benington Battle Monument, he said, would be a 鈥渢ough pill to swallow.鈥�
鈥淚t would be a huge change,鈥� he said.
