Return of Chief St. Germain statue delayed

The restoration of the statue of Chief St. Germain, a decades-old landmark on a corner of State Highways 70 and 155 in St. Germain — will take longer and be more expensive than originally thought.

That was the news received by the town board at a meeting on Aug. 1.

Early in 2023, town officials were alerted to the fact that the fiberglass statue was developing visible cracks and its base may be structurally unsound, which could constitute a safety hazard.

The current statue is a replacement of the original, which was carved into timbers and wrapped with metal mesh and waterproof concrete by local artist Neal D.G. Long. There are no records of the statue’s original unveiling date, but most of those who have researched it agree it was erected after World War II and prior to the mid-1950s.

When the timber-based construction of the original rotted beyond the point of repair, the current fiberglass statue took its place.

Former town supervisor Ted Ritter told The Lakeland Times he moved to St. Germain in 1986 and the fiberglass replacement was already there. 

In July 2023, after finding out there was no “cheap fix,” the board voted to appoint a new committee to oversee restoration or replacement of the statue, its task to seek quotes for work to the base and statue, as well as for potential landscaping.

It was also tasked with raising funds for the project.

The town board voted — though not unanimously — during a meeting on March 12 to fund the restoration of the statue.

At the time, Christensen said he hoped the project would be completed by the first of June. 

During the Aug. 1 meeting, he said he’d met with Jacob Anderson of Advantage Restorations and learned the project would be delayed and come in at a cost exceeding original expectations.

“We were originally talking about around $16,000 and we decided at one point, in the committee and I think we talked about it at the board level, if the statue is filled with foam, it’s going to add rigidity for it and it will help its long-term lifespan,” Christensen said. “That process was an additional $2,000 ... then Jacob and I agreed on $5,000 additional, so the total cost now — with sales tax taken off … we’re at $23,000. Jacob has agreed to finishing the project for that.”

He said the restoration would be complete by Oct. 1.

“He should have the statue in final paint and ready for pick-up to come back,” Christensen said. 

The timeline for returning the statue to its original location is still in question and even if the statue is returned in the near future, “I’m not sure that it will go up at that time,” Christen said.

“I guess part of it is the weather that we have at that time, to be sure that we can put if back up,” Christensen explained. “If it can’t go up, then we need to figure out where we’re going to store it for the winter. That’s still kind of an open-ended thing. The committee wants to have a celebration / party type thing for putting it back up, so part of the conversation was that everybody is kind of gone at that time.”

He mentioned the possibility of waiting to put the statue back, unveiling it and having the celebration in 2025.

“So if that happens, then we need to figure out where it can stay for the wintertime and be safe,” Christensen said. “Fall probably isn’t the best time for the celebration.”

He was asked about the current state of the statue. 

“It’s kind of stripped-down,” Christensen said. “It’s got some repairs going to the fiberglass where there are some sections stripped down and in a primer-type thing where it’s been repaired. It’s not ready for final painting yet but most of the repairs have been done. He (Anderson) changed some of the physique a little bit. You probably won’t even notice it ... the paint is basically the same except for his loincloth is going to have a different pattern on it. It’s going back to a pattern that was from years ago. It’s actually changed three different times in its life ... it’s a minor change.”

Town supervisor Jim Swenson asked how much money had been raised by the committee, and town treasurer Jeanna Vogel said donations now total approximately $14,000.

“Our motion was initially not to exceed $25,000,” Swenson said. “So we’re under that. With that (the statue) coming in higher, does that mean we won’t be able to do something like landscaping around it?”

“They’re still doing donations,” Christensen replied. “If they (the committee) come up with the $25,000 that the town board approved, I understood that to mean we were willing to spend $25,000 on the project no matter what the fundraising was. So if they fund-raise, let’s say they get up to $25,000 and we have to kick in $3,000, I would think that we would still be able to kick in some additional money for landscaping.”

The committee’s hope, he said, was to be able to cover 100 percent of the cost.

“They’re having quite a lot of success with selling ‘Save the Chief’ T-shirts,” Christensen said. “They’re doing a great job. They’ve raised more than what I thought was going to be possible.”

The board voted unanimously to issue a check to Advantage Restorations for $13,000 as partial payment.

Town supervisor Kalissa Mortag, who case the dissenting vote at the March 12 meeting, was absent. 

Christensen said in the meantime, anyone interested in making an individual contribution should contact Vogel.