Saturday, November 14, 2009

Fuss Persists Over Going Green

By Rosalie Rayburn
Copyright © 2009 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
          Let the experts find a solution.
        That's the position Bernalillo County officials are taking in the ongoing dispute over greenish marks discovered on "The Bell Keepers" statue last summer.
        The experts are Tony Workman, the manager of the foundry that cast the bronze statue, and T. David Burleigh, a metallurgist the county hired to examine the piece.
        Workman claims the statue's appearance has nothing to do with its structural integrity. Burleigh has suggested the marks are the sites of cracks that may be letting in water, which could cause corrosion.
        Breanna Anderson, spokeswoman for the county's Community Services Department, said the county has received a copy of a letter sent by Workman to Burleigh and would stay in contact with Burleigh.
        "At this point, we're just waiting to hear from the experts," Anderson said. "We hope we find a solution that will work from all sides."
        The statue of two Spanish colonials carrying a church bell stands at the corner of Alameda and Rio Grande, near the Alameda Open Space. The county paid artist Bruce Papitto $150,000 to create the piece using taxpayer money from its 1 Percent for Public Art funds.
        The dispute arose this summer when the county's Public Arts Director Becky Alter observed greenish marks on the bronze. Burleigh examined the statue in September at the county's request. Based on Burleigh's report, the county contacted Papitto's attorney suggesting the artist should remedy the situation under the warranty in his contract.
        Asked to comment on Burleigh's claims, Workman said he didn't understand why the county hadn't come to him first instead of hiring an outsider who wasn't familiar with the statue.
        Since then, Workman has written to Burleigh offering to help resolve the situation.
        "It seems some of the problems have arisen from the county's Public Arts Director and Mr. Papitto's vision not being compatible," Workman said in his letter.
        Although the statue's location exposes it to weather and road grime, Workman said, he did not believe it would harm the structural integrity or cause corrosion.
        If water has penetrated the statue, Workman suggested a small hole could be drilled to drain it. Anderson said county officials have decided not to pursue any warranty claim until they hear from Burleigh, she said.
       

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