Stay on top of breaking news!
Sign up for ABC 33/40 News e-mail alerts.
Birmingham, AL - Vulcan. He's a main attraction, an integral part of the Birmingham City Skyline.
"It's a beautiful sight here. You gotta come up here and see this." says Ian King who is visiting from Philadelphia. He's well aware how important Vulcan is to the Magic City. "When I came down here the first time what I wanted to see was this and the Civil Rights Institute."
But the pedestal Vulcan is standing on has some issues. Water is seeping through hairline cracks. Director of Operations Owen Blomeley says the tower is structurally sound, but the sandstone absorbs the rain which could affect everything from the plaster to the wiring inside. A water-proofing membrane would fix the problem. The park has requested $30,000 from the City of Birmingham to repair it. Councilor Steven Hoyt wonders why contractors did not waterproof the Vulcan pedestal seven years ago during renovations.
"I just thought we raised all this money to restore Vulcan to its glory and now we're saying that he's in disrepair and so that concerns me," he says. "And maybe we don't need to pay the 30. Maybe we just need to pay 15 and let them pay the other 15 because obviously they didn't do it right."
Right or not- the pedestal needs repair now not only so Vulcan can continue looking out over the city but also so the city can keep looking at him.
"It's actually very nice to look at," King says. "I mean, it's a great view of the city from up here.">
Email To Friend
ABC 33/40 News to leave comments on news stories.