A lack of employees and snarled supply lines are two reasons why Moose Jaw’s historic bell won’t be installed near Mosaic Place until next spring.
City administration informed members of the heritage advisory committee during their recent meeting that the construction and installation of the historic bell tower would be delayed to March or April 2022, minutes from the meeting show.
Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation, told the committee that contractor Steady Metalworks could not meet the deadline of late September or early October because of employee turnover and back order of steel.
Blais confirmed to the Moose Jaw Express that city hall reached out to Steady Metalworks in late August to inquire about the project and learned that the business was facing manufacturing problems.
“They said the timelines for the project would be extended as they have some other projects that are going on, and they have some supply issues as well as staffing issues,” he said, noting while the supply-chain problems were nationwide, the business managed to find some steel.
Steady Metalworks will continue to work on the bell stand so that the municipality can install it near Mosaic Place in the spring, Blais continued. The business also expects the build cost to remain the same at $17,775.44 plus taxes.
“A lot of these things are out of our control and we just have to adapt accordingly,” he said. “We’d have loved to have seen it installed prior to the Warriors’ season, but we’ll have to do it in the spring.”
Blais added that city hall is still committed to the contract and Steady Metalworks, especially since the business is donating all design labour and shop labour to fabricate the stand, worth about $7,600. This has kept the project within budget.
The 119-year-old bell will be housed in a stand composed of steel, which will stand 15 feet high, have a base of 10 square feet, and be installed on the northeast corner of Mosaic Place on First Avenue Northwest. A plaque will also be installed near the 1,500-pound bell to highlight its history and significance.
The Town of Moose Jaw purchased the bell in 1902 and erected it behind town hall on Main Street and River Street. Back then, the bell hung on a 30-foot-tall wooden derrick that was rung for fires, curfews and to signal that prohibition was in effect.
Seventy years later, it was moved to Crescent Park and displayed near the art gallery before being removed and stored in the city yards in 2010 because of vandalism.
Students from Saskatchewan Polytechnic refurbished the bell in 2018.
