Volunteers unveil 30% design for Save the Spire; fundraising goal set at $750,000

Save the Spire volunteers presented a 30% design milestone for restoring and relocating the spire originally designed by William Wesley Peters. Project leads said they reduced the plinth height and shortened portions of the metal spire to lower overall visual impact: "The actual spire height now has been reduced significantly, to just 74 feet overall on the spire itself," the presenter said. The team showed a fly-through rendering and said the proposed location is the center of the town campus to minimize infrastructure impacts and maximize public visibility.

The volunteer committee reported more than $100,000 in in-kind donations and two competitive construction bids averaging roughly $650,000; the committees fundraising goal is $750,000 to cover contingencies and donor recognition elements. Organizers said they plan a November 13 fundraising kickoff and that the group intends to fund the entire project, including landscape and site work, with volunteers handling outreach and donor recognition. Council members asked technical questions about structural attachments, materials, lighting and maintenance; project leads said original design drawings and measured components are being used to inform structural plans and that maintenance costs will be analyzed and proposed once construction documents are complete.

Why it matters: The spire is a local architectural artifact with ties to the Taliesin tradition; council members generally praised the volunteer effort and design responses to earlier feedback (notably lowering the plinth). Staff and the committee agreed to continue coordination during final design and fundraising.