New Albany council reviews $103,000 estimate to dismantle and reconstruct Herman Monument

City staff presented a detailed cost estimate of about $103,000 to deconstruct and reconstruct the Herman Monument, and asked the New Albany City Council for feedback on whether to move forward with the proposal and pursue state Legacy funding.

Schugel, a city staff member, told the council the estimate covers a professional dismantling and rebuild scope and that, if the city accepted the proposal, the contractor would expect delivery within "8 weeks of a signed contract." He said the city has set aside funds in a Herman Reconstruction Project Fund and expects to have $400,000 in that fund by the end of 2025, with another $100,000 allocated for 2026.

The estimate was presented as a necessary step to be eligible for state Legacy program dollars. Schugel said staff had communicated with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and that without a professional, detailed cost estimate they would not have an option to pursue Legacy funding. He also told the council the maximum Legacy award is $10,000,000 and that a local match of roughly $1,000,000 would likely be required if the city sought the maximum award.

Council members and other attendees pressed for detail and flagged uncertainties. One speaker with long experience in historic preservation said a study like this is "almost a prerequisite for a lot of funding opportunities" and confirmed that SHPO has indicated support for deconstruction with salvage of any reusable material, while recognizing much of the monument may not be salvageable. Schugel said SHPO had provided a letter indicating the office supports the direction of deconstruction and reuse where feasible.

Speakers also discussed how work would affect the monument’s status on the National Register of Historic Places; Schugel said SHPO advised the site would likely be removed from the register during construction and would need to be re‑nominated afterward. The staff proposal includes a line item estimating professional fees for archeology, interpretive signage and revisions to the National Register nomination.

Council members raised concerns about total rebuild cost and timing. The meeting record includes past estimates: a 2019 study put reconstruction between $5 million and $6 million, participants said, and another speaker suggested current full-rebuild costs could be "pushing closer to 10 to 12" million dollars. One council member urged caution because construction costs are rising monthly and worried the city could face multi‑million dollar obligations later in the process.

Alternative options were discussed: fully deconstructing the monument and using private funding to rebuild a smaller or different base, designing an accessible interpretive site that forgoes reinstalling the original climbable structure, or salvaging usable structural elements (for example: steel columns or rings) if tests show they are sound. A speaker noted that an ADA-compliant interpretive center could count toward accessibility obligations even if the monument itself is not made climbable.

No formal motion or vote was taken at the work session. Schugel said that if the council’s feedback favored the proposal, staff would return with the item at a regular council meeting. The council did not set a funding commitment or schedule; staff noted actual deconstruction timing would depend on legislative funding and permitting, with a rough internal estimate that, even if funded, work likely would not begin before 2027 or 2028.

The discussion underscored remaining uncertainties: how much masonry and Kasota stone (identified in staff remarks) is salvageable, the definitive full reconstruction budget, the likelihood and amount of state Legacy funding, and the project timeline tied to legislative appropriations. Council members asked for further information including visitor-data collection to better understand the monument’s role in attracting visitors before committing larger sums.