City bell relocation plan advances as CPC advises limits on preservation funding for new tower

City staff presented a plan to reconstruct and relocate the city hall bells — removed two years earlier after the supporting metal frame deteriorated — and asked the committee to advance eligibility for work related to bell rehabilitation and a new bell tower.

Dan Agar, director of engineering and planning, described the bells’ history, past restoration estimates, and recent offers to buy the bells. He said the administration would prefer to keep the bells in the city and install them in a public location along the Duval Street corridor or another open space parcel where noise and neighborhood impacts would be minimized.

Committee members approved moving the application forward for eligibility review but recorded a substantive policy discussion: historic‑preservation funds can pay to conserve historic objects (the bells themselves) but do not typically cover construction of new nonhistoric structures. Several members recommended that proposals for a new tower, site landscaping and lighting be submitted under open space/recreation funding if the proposed tower sits in a park and carries a deed restriction.

Why it matters: The bells are a locally significant artifact with symbolic value; the path forward — sell, store, or re‑install them in a new public setting — affects cityscape, noise, and available CPC funds. Committee members urged the administration to identify a firm site and partner funding to make the project more competitive and to preserve the bells themselves as a priority for preservation funds.

Next steps: City staff will refine the application with a site, design options, and a breakdown separating preservation work on the bells from any new‑construction costs; CPC staff suggested pursuing state and cultural district grants to partner on tower construction.