Article from 2017 Mego: Naperville carillon a mistake, but no choice now but to fix it By BILL MEGO JUN 14, 2017 | 6:35 PM Naperville's Millennium Carillon should teach us some valuable lessons. The first is that exciting ideas are not necessarily good ideas. In fact, it can be argued the more exciting an idea is the more you may eventually regret having it. The second lesson is you should never attempt to get a project done by a certain date just to celebrate something, in this case the beginning of the new millennium in 2000. Engineers need lots of time to determine what the actual cost will be and to detect and correct flaws in the design that might cause trouble. The third lesson is never cut corners to save money, like leaving off a protective glass enclosure, because in the long run you won't save anything. The fourth is to never rely on volunteers for money. They will reliably provide labor, but the cash always dries up when their interest wanes and some new venture grabs their attention. I've never concealed the fact I don't particularly care for the carillon. When individual notes are played, it sounds charming, but when several are played at the same time, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what the song is. To me, it sounds as though someone poured a big box of ball bearings down the bell tower. The way it was explained to me is that because they are so large, each of the bells is just a little bit out of tune. The harmonics that are created when several notes are played at once interfere with each other. That's why a good orchestra tries so hard to make sure all the instruments are in tune with each other. [Most read] Hundreds attend burial in South Bend for fetuses stored in Will County garage by late abortion doctor Ulrich Klopfer » The idea for the carillon apparently came into a retired principal's head in 1997. The proposal for a $1 million, 49-bell tower was presented to the Celebration 2000 committee in February 1998. One month later, the committee said, "No, thanks, do it yourselves. " So they did. The Naperville Carillon Foundation was formed that summer, the size of the carillon was expanded and a company in the Netherlands was chosen to cast the 72 bells, which were offered for sale to the public. The smallest bell cost a couple of thousand dollars, while the largest cost a whopping $70, 000. By late spring 1999 the bells had been sold, and the largest bell had been parked outside a local tavern on Washington Street. A year later, construction of what had now become a $6. 5 million bell tower was complete, and the first concert was scheduled for late June. But of course the excitement of the new millennium had passed, and money was not exactly rolling in. It took five years before the Naperville City Council decided to take over the Carillon Foundation's debt and finish constructing it using Special Events and Cultural Amenities funds. By then chunks of the tower's concrete were already beginning to fall off. Now the tower needs major repairs. There has always been a sizable faction of Napervillians that believes the thing should be torn down to save tax money, and indeed that would probably be the wisest thing to do. However, I don't believe that will ever happen. For one thing, it just doesn't seem right to scrap all those bells inscribed with the names of their donors, who were told and believed their extraordinary generosity would be recorded in perpetuity. Also, the tower is now world famous and strongly identified with the town, and especially the Riverwalk. Businesses have come to rely on that symbolism, as well as things like the concerts, weddings and tours. Naperville carillon reopens for tours, sets summer concert schedule MUNDELEIN Naperville carillon reopens for tours, sets summer concert schedule So let's not whine about it. Bite the bullet, spend the $3 million, build the protective enclosure, repair the mortar and do whatever it takes to stop the corrosion. Some lessons are expensive, as this one certainly will be, but it will be worth it if we understand how this project went wrong and how to make sure the next one doesn't. bill. mego@sbcglobal. net Opinion Naperville Newsletter - Chicago Tribune Start every day with the stories you need to know delivered to your inbox from the Chicago Tribune SUBSCRIBE LATEST OPINION OPINION Decent: Seniors taking their golden years into their own hands by deciding how and where they want to live 4h Decent: Seniors taking their golden years into their own hands by deciding how and where they want to live OPINION Letters to the Editor 11:36 AM Letters to the Editor SUBURBS Speak Out FEB 12, 2020 Speak Out OPINION Letters to the Editor FEB 7, 2020 OPINION Decent: Valentine’s Day so much sweeter the second time around FEB 7, 2020 Decent: Valentine’s Day so much sweeter the second time around
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