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B&A Fixes Funkstown Bell Tower
February 1999--The bell tower atop Funkstown’s historic Town Hall was in bad shape. The roof leaked, and droppings from the flocks of pigeons that lived in the tower were piling up.
Rather than repair the tower, two Funkstown councilmen thought it might make more sense to remove it altogether. Lucky for the bell tower, the Washington County Historic District Commission disagreed, arguing that the building, formerly a church, was protected from significant architectural change as a historic landmark in a zoned historic district.
The Town Council voted to repair the bell tower and awarded the job to Before and After Contracting, who promised that the entire restoration, including labor and materials, would not exceed $5,000.
"It would have been a shame to tear the tower off--it adds a lot of character to the building," said Steve Walker, owner of Before and After Contracting.
Before and After’s crews replaced the tower’s crumbling shingles and the rotting wood underneath then screened off the tower's openings to keep the pigeons out. Within a week, Before and After had restored the bell tower to its former glory.
 Town
Hall Bell Tower, Funkstown
February
1999
(1)
Before
and After's crew used an 85-foot manlift to reach the tower.
 Town
Hall Bell Tower, Funkstown
February
1999
(2)
Quite
a view from up there!
 Town
Hall Bell Tower, Funkstown
February
1999
(3)
After
removing the flaking shingles, we replaced all rotted wood and put
a new roof on.
 Town
Hall Bell Tower, Funkstown
February
1999
(4)
To
minimize the pigeon problem, we screened the openings.
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