Lafayette residents, officials mull how to save historic pillars
Relocation and restoration — these are just two of the suggestions proposed to save the two historic pillars that stand in Lafayette.
A public forum occurred April 12 to help determine the future of the two pillars that stand sentinel to the Arapahoe Road — U.S. 287 intersection in Lafayette.
The pillars have been the subject of community discussion since a project to reconfigure the intersection put the pillars, which were built in 1921, at risk of deterioration.
Gail Elias was one of the 30 community members who went to the meeting with comprehensive ambitions for the future of the pillars.
Elias, who is the Regent of the Indian Peaks chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, expressed an interest in restoring the pillars to be used as a site of reflection and learning.
“We have a unique opportunity to go back and look at the original intent of those towers,” Elias said.
“They are a memorial to men and women who also served in World War I. We had 1,530 people from Boulder County serve, and 24 of them didn’t come back,” Elias said. “This may be an opportunity to provide some information on how those towers came to be, and who and what they represent.”
Gerry Morrell, a board member of the Lafayette Historical Society, proposed that the pillars be moved to an alternate, significant location, such as Legion Hill.
“We need to think about proper places that show respect for these towers,” Morrell said. “Those towers need to be there for another 100 years.”
One community member who did not identify himself suggested that the pillars be incorporated into a more obvious memorial.
“There’s a difference between a stack of rocks on the side of the road, and a memorial. I would say that a lot of younger kids, newer generations are the ones we need to speak to for the next 300, 400, or 500 years. So that means we need to find someplace where we can create a memorial — not just a couple of stacks of rocks,” he said.
William Meyer of the Boulder Rotary Club, who was moderating the discussion, brought up the issue of funding when it came to moving the pillars.
“To move those pillars, and re-erect them will probably cost somewhere in the range of half of a million dollars. That money is not going to be easily available. We can try to raise whatever we need to raise, but we’re not talking about an insignificant construction project if we’re trying to relocate the pillars,”
Meyer said.
A cost evaluation provided by Building Restoration Specialties, Inc. for the Colorado Department of Transportation estimated that the total cost of disassembling, moving, and reassembling the pillars at a new location would cost $718,196.
The cost of using a crane to pick up the pillars and then move them in complete sections is estimated to be $450,172.
Another option suggested during the meeting was moving the pillars to Boulder. By moving the pillars to the CU Boulder campus or Pearl Street Mall, the reassembly costs of the pillars would possibly be covered by the University of Colorado or Boulder.
However, that option was taken off the table when several community members opposed the idea of moving the pillars to Boulder.
“Personally, I would like them to stay at this end of the county,” one attendee said.
“Boulder has everything! Let’s keep something for us,” another joked.
Members of a mitigation team will now review the suggestions from the community forum and develop a plan for the future of the pillars that incorporates the community response along with the desirability and feasibility of the suggestions offered.