Press-Republican

Local News

Related Photos

  • Photo Provided

    images_sizedimage_093221401

Discussion

IMPORTANT: Comments that include a personal attack on other commenters will be deleted in their entirety. Your comments are not welcome here if you can't maintain a civil tone.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
April 3, 2009

Stone walls collapse at Fort Ti

[-BULLET-] Officials say no danger to public; fort slated to open May 21

By LOHR McKINSTRY

TICONDEROGA — Two stone walls have collapsed at Fort Ticonderoga, but officials there say the fort will open as scheduled this spring.

Two sections of the northwest bastion at the fort gave way at the end of March, fort Acting Executive Director Kelly O'Neil-Teer said Friday.

She said there is no danger to the public, and the fort will still open as planned on May 21.

"We've been watching that area for a while. It's reinforced. It doesn't pose any danger to our guests."

EROSION
The sections that fell in are on the left as visitors enter the fort, she said, and aren't normally seen or accessed by the public.

The national historic landmark was built by the French in 1755 and has had trouble in recent years with stone walls eroding. Most of the fort's walls were reconstructed from 1913 to 1925, when the Pell family rebuilt the fort and opened it to the public.

Fort Board of Trustees President Peter S. Paine Jr. said he'll be working with O'Neil-Teer and the staff to formulate repair options.

He said the west and northwest sides of the bastion are what collapsed.

"This is in an area we have been watching for a number of years, so it doesn't come as a surprise. It's veneer, as opposed to structural. It's stone over a concrete foundation."

The area was already fenced off to prevent public access, he said.

"At this time of year, it's not unusual to have problems from the spring freeze-and-thaw cycle."

PREVIOUS REBUILD
The west demi-lune wall at the fort collapsed in April 1997 and cost $475,000 to rebuild. The demi-lune is an outer triangular wall used as a first line of defense.

O'Neil-Teer said the current wall collapses aren't as severe as the demi-lune and are structurally reinforced.

"It's not nearly as problematic."

She said once they have repair estimates, they can ask for funding to restore the walls. The fort had already applied for federal stimulus money to work on the bastion's north wall.

Ryan-Biggs Associates of Troy will inspect the walls and furnish estimates.

MOVING CANNONS
In the meantime, the fort will probably issue requests for proposals to move the cannons that sit atop the northwest bastion, she said.

"They're (the cannons) not in any danger, but we probably will move them."

The cannons are sitting on a strong foundation, she said.

"They're so heavy it requires a special company with a special crane. The company will move them."

The loose stone from the collapsed walls will also be removed and inspected to see if it can be reused for the repairs.

FUNDS
Paine said the fort probably won't be able to apply for grants that require matching funds, since it doesn't have the money to pay the match.

The fort came up $2.5 million short when its $23 million Mars Education Center was completed last year.

Fort officials say that although the deficit has been made up, they're still in financial difficulty. The fort laid off four people, closed buildings and set a late opening to save money.

The south wall at the fort was reconstructed in 2003, and the fort's long-range planning committee has identified other sections as priorities for rebuilding to prevent future problems.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

North Country Scenes


Click on photo to view gallery with latest photos

FYI...