The design/engineering phase of the project has wrapped up. The permitting materials were sent to the City of Charleston on October 2nd and applications for both the BAR approvals and building permits have been submitted. There will be a total of three separate permitted jobs.
1. Lightning strike/fire damage structural repairs to the bell tower roof.
2. Visual appearance repairs to the exterior of the bell tower - non-structural.
3. Additions to the bell tower sprinkler system to allow proper operation.
Applied Building Sciences was able to use our initial thoughts on the roofing repairs to provide a very detailed set of structural drawings to be used for construction. ABS has also provided a project manual detailing methods and materials for the crack repairs and coating of the bell tower.
Project subcontractors have been notified that we are in the permitting phase and have been updated on any changes to the original approach to construction. We are now looking to start construction in the late fall and wrap by early spring.
Update from our General Contractor, P. Russell Smith with BuildSmith, LLC.
The bell tower has been undergoing repairs since January 2020 as part of the vision of the Steeple Fund. Progress updates (and lots of photos) can be found here.