Funkstown to repair Town Hall bell tower

February 16, 1999

FUNKSTOWN - The Funkstown Mayor and Town Council on Monday decided to repair the bell tower atop Town Hall.

Councilman Richard Nigh in January had suggested the option of removing the tower, after Mayor Robert Kline presented a Hagerstown company's repair proposal.

The bell tower on Town Hall, a former church, is rotting, said Kline.

But the tower is protected as a historic landmark, according to a letter to the Funkstown Planning and Zoning Commission from the Washington County Historic District Commission.

An ordinance bans any change to the outside of a building in a zoned historic district, said Douglas Stone, representative of the Historic District Commission.

"Being an old church, tearing off the steeple would basically change the purpose of the building," he said.

The building no longer functions as a church, and Councilman Kimberly Ramer. He said he agreed with Nigh's suggestion as part of a larger effort to refurbish the structure, and make it fitting for its current purpose.

Before and After Home Improvements' written proposal promised the entire job, including labor and materials, wouldn't cost more than $5,000.

The council voted to repair the bell tower.

- Andrea Brown-Hurley

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