The city of Benicia is working to make some changes to its historic Clocktower, including a re-roofing and tower netting, Parks and Building Maintenance Superintendent Rick Knight said at Thursday’s Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC) meeting.

Knight said the city has worked to stabilize the tower’s stones. During a routine inspection of the 158-year-old structure, it was discovered that several of the tower’s sandstones were loose, even after seismic work had been performed in 1982.

“We came up with a couple of plans,” Knight said. “One was to remove the stones, but we were afraid if we removed the stones, then they wouldn’t get put back, so we secured them in place.”

Knight said the stabilization part of the process is complete, and the fence around the structure will remain in place until it is permanently repaired. Knight said the money for permanent repair— which would include removing or drilling the stones and replacing them with replicants— is estimated to be around $1.6 million. The next phase of the project is to replace the roof.

HPRC Chair Tim Reynolds sought clarification on whether the netting and roofing had separate contracts. Knight confirmed they were two separate projects.

Commissioner Steve McKee asked if the sandstone replicants would be made out of sandstone again.

“No, they’ll be a different type of material,” Knight said. “I can’t remember what type of material it is, but it’s a cast stone. They make all the etchings on it as part of a mold.”

“They will look like sandstone,” he added.

Commissioner Luis Delgado asked if the project would involve taking the tower apart and putting it back together. Knight said the city would be taking apart the top row of stones and putting them back together.

Reynolds asked if the city had investigated every possible option to keep the original stones and what the issues were. Knight said the foundation was “basically unstable.”

“They started to deteriorate,” he said. “Bases would come off, and then they would start to fall apart.”

Delgado noted that the Clocktower originally had two towers. Knight mentioned that the second tower was destroyed following an explosion and fire at the Clocktower in 1912, which resulted in the structure being reduced from three stories to two.

Commissioner Toni Haughey asked if the new stones had a long shelf life. Knight said they last as long as concrete.

Commissioner Jack MaCoun asked if funding had been done for the re-roofing portion of the project. Knight said he received bids of $20,000 to $50,000 for the work, some of which he hopes can be saved to be used on the roof at least for a complete design. The current roof was put in place in 1989 and had a 20-year lifespan. The new roof will have additional sheeting over the insulation and new gutters. It is projected to have a lifespan of 40 years.

Delgado expressed concerns about the finite lifespan and noted that some roofs have lifetime guarantees.

“If it’s a 40-year roof, in 40 years you’re gonna be replacing it again, and hopefully that landmark building is still standing,” he said.

Delgado also asked what material the original roof was made of. Knight said that since it was built around the same time as the Camel Barns, it was probably made of metal. Knight also noted that a similar project was done at the Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barns in 2005, where the metal roof was replaced.

“It was destroying some of the artifacts it would get so hot in there,” Knight said. “We took off the old roof, put down the redecking and insulated the metal roof on top of it.”

Knight hopes to have the projects done before the summer season when a lot of weddings and receptions are held at the Clocktower.

In other business, the HPRC unanimously lent support to Arts Benicia seeking approval from the Benicia City Council to apply for the Arsenal’s designation as a cultural district. The commission also voted 4-1— MacCoun voted no, and McKee and Jon Van Landschoot recused themselves— to request an amendment to a design review of a proposed detached garage at a West H Street property.