Old and new bells at Highland County Courthouse among topics at county commission meeting

Local bell enthusiast and C.S. Bell historian Tim Koehl met with county commissioners Wednesday, Feb. 21 to discuss two bell-related topics related to the Highland County Courthouse, as Koehl advocated toward removing the bell inside the courthouse and offered a proposal to add a bell to the Highland County Veterans Memorial.

Commissioner Brad Roades said he was investigating a water leak in the attic of the courthouse recently and saw the bell. After talking to Koehl, who also wanted to see it, they went inside the courthouse’s bell tower earlier in February. 

Koehl said that the bell is “not supported from below,” as there is a suspended yoke supporting it, “attached on each side to large wooden beams.

“Of the hundreds of mounted bells I’ve seen, I’ve never seen a bell suspended like this,” Koehl said. “People don't realize, over the years, the reverberations and the wear and tear that bells take on old structures.

“I'll give you my bottom line. That bell has got to come out of there. You can see from the pictures that the wood is beginning to degrade around it, and it really shouldn't be up there.”

Koehl added that it is “a pretty amazing bell,” which he had appraised by an expert, who estimated “it could be worth as much as 40 grand.

“It’s a big deal,” Koehl said. “What you all decide to do with it is up to you.”

Koehl said that during his time at the courthouse, he mentioned to Roades that he would be interested in donating a bell for the Highland County Veterans Memorial there. Hillsboro VFW Post 9094 leaders Dwight Reynolds and Rick Wilkin were among those in attendance Wednesday to hear Koehl’s proposal.

Koehl brought the bell he had in mind with him, as he told the group it had “a pretty interesting story.

“This is a Navy transport bell that was cast in 1944, but it wasn't a good bell, didn't have a good ring,” Koehl said. “This one grew legs, and it disappeared for over 80 years. When I found it — when I talked to the person that had it — they had no idea how long it had been there, but it was holding down the cap to their septic tank.

“Here it is now, and I fashioned this hanger with C.S. Bell parts, but the only thing that is original and Navy-qualified is the bell itself. The eagles [which Koehl placed atop the bell] were kind of an afterthought —  they were a big deal in the ’70s, but not in the war — but I think it really dresses the bell off real nice.”

Koehl told the group that he thought the bell would be meaningful for visitors to the Veterans Memorial.

“As we think about the folks that enjoy that area and that it means a lot to, we know it's those who fought and suffered,” Koehl said. “And being a damaged bell that never made it into service, that never made it to war, I think this bill represents those individuals out there today who didn't have what it took, who were rejected from service. I think this bell has a lot of meaning, not just because it’s a C.S. Bell, but because of the life it lived.”

Koehl added that he could assist in setting the bell up, if they were interested.

Roades asked the VFW representatives if they had any feedback, as commission president David Daniels said he would defer to them.

“I'm intrigued by it,” Reynolds said. “I think it would be an appropriate place to put it up there. Rick and I talked, and actually I already contacted [Justin] Harsha about putting concrete. We’ve got to put some thought into protecting it because number one, we don’t want it stolen, because it's valuable, but we still want it visible.”

Reynolds added that the Memorial Fund has “plenty of money to cover the costs” of installing the bell. 

“I think it'd be a great addition to the memorial we have up there,” Wilkin said.

Daniels asked them to “talk it over with the other veterans organizations in town” and come up with a design. “Maybe it’s possible to have it done before Memorial Day this year,” he said.

“That will probably be our plan,” Wilkin said.

Also mentioned by Koehl during his presentation was his desire for a “walking bell trail” in Hillsboro, which he has been promoting for several years, as his vision also includes murals in the uptown district. (Highland County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Director Jamie Wheeler as well as Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender were also present for Koehl’s discussion.)

“I've been associated with the American Bell Association now for a couple of years,” Koehl told the group. “The ABA’s annual convention is going to be held in Cincinnati in June of 2025, so there's going to be three [hundred] or 400 bell lovers running around down there. I'd like to mark that as a challenge for this community to do what they can about attracting some of those folks to come through Hillsboro.

“I think we have an opportunity here. If bells are going to be our thing — if we're Bell Town, USA; Bell City, USA — then let’s go.”

In other discussion:

• Commissioner Terry Britton gave an update on the county’s long-discussed MARCS tower upgrade, as he said the funding has come in and a (new) tentative site has been selected.

As previously reported, the county was awarded $750,000 in state funding for the construction of the new MARCS tower in 2022. In October 2023, funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht said the county is “going to put a local match of $530 [thousand], for a total of $1,280,000” for the project. 

Commissioners were originally seeking a site in Marshall Township, as their township trustees rejected the commissioners’ proposal a year ago this month.

“We did receive the check from the state, the $750,000 that’s their portion of the MARCS tower,” Britton announced Wednesday. “Also, we do have a tentative site for the MARCS tower, pending some review. It looks like we're going to Concord Township.”

According to Britton, Concord Township trustees “graciously” agreed to work with the county on providing a site in exchange for “helping them on a project,” which will likely be paving-related, he said.

“The state's doing a map of coverage for us, so we can see what kind of coverage we’re going to get at that point,” Britton said. “There’ll be more to come.”

• Commissioners made two approvals Wednesday related to a request from the Highland County Board of Elections.

On Feb. 14, Elections Administrator Hunter Ellis and members of the Highland County Board of Elections met with commissioners to discuss acquiring new electronic poll books with state funding.

Ellis told commissioners that the Board was seeking $47,000 to make the purchase “upfront,” but added that under House Bill 45, the state legislature made arrangements for 85-percent reimbursement, so the actual cost to the county will be $7,050. The deadline to “secure funding” and place the order is May 1, he said.

Via resolution, commissioners authorized a transfer from Transfers Out to 4250 BOE Capital Improvement in the amount of $46,640. Also requested was an additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue to Other Expense (5250) in the amount of $47,000.

Commissioners then voted to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Ohio Secretary of State and Highland County Board of Elections related to the electronic poll books. 

“The transfer that we just did in [the resolution] will fund that,” Daniels said.

• Commissioners approved a request for partial payment from Reed Mechanical Construction LLC for work on Sycamore Circle in Greenfield, funded through the county’s Community Development Block Grant program.

• Commissioners also voted via resolution to authorize a budget modification within Probation TCAP FY-24-25 (2526) in the amount of $2,000.

• Wheeler reminded the commissioners that the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Ag Is Everyone’s Business event is set for March 1, and tickets are still available. 

• Commissioners issued a proclamation in honor of National FFA Week in Highland County, which is being observed Feb. 17-24. Read more at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/highland-county-commissioners-loca….

• Commissioners heard reports from leaders of several different county offices, on topics including workforce development, the state of the recorder’s office and permissive sales tax receipts. Read the story at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/new-program-workforce-development-….

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.