ANDREW HEID/YH No one knows when Harkness Tower will be renovated.

Harkness Tower lacks funds for renovations

Harkness Tower is the defining feature of Branford College. By the time the rest of Branford finishes construction next year, however, Branfordians and Carillonneurs alike may have to adjust to the reality of life without a new tower to go along with the rest of the refurbished college. Plans for the renovation of Harkness, originally scheduled to be repaired along with the rest of Branford, have been stalled indefinitely because of a lack of funding. "Full architectural plans and pricing have all been done, and are awaiting the go-ahead," said Philip Greene, Assistant Dean of Yale College and faculty advisor to the Guild of Carillonneurs. "But funds still need to be found for the Tower renovation, and therefore the project has been suspended."

The original timetable for the construction slated both Branford and Harkness Tower for renovation from May 1999 to August 2000. During that time, the Guild of Carillonneurs would not have been able to ring Harkness' bells. Since the Guild must train their freshmen on the actual Harkness bells, they would have lost an entire year of recruits. "We started making plans for what we would have to do during a year of no access to the tower," Roy Lee, SM '00, one of the leaders of the Guild of Carilloneurs said.

However, just before the beginning of summer, Charles Ebner, the facilities project manager for the Branford renovations, sent an e-mail to Guild co-chair Elena Saxonhouse, SY '99, telling the carillonneurs that Harkness construction would be postponed a year. The Guild abandoned their preparations for hiatus and started planning how they would access the tower during the construction of Branford. Now renovations for Harkness have been postponed yet again. No one knows when construction will start up once more, but it almost certainly won't be this summer.

The Carillonneurs are not the only ones for whom the funding and repairs is causing confusion. Dean Greene says the work stoppage was due to a lack of funds. However, not all members of the Yale Administration seem to be on the same page regarding the construction program's status. Branford Master Steven Smith said, "Regarding Harkness Tower, I believe the plan has been to defer that part of the renovation in part because, as I understand it, the repairs require a different firm from the one doing the college renovation and it would be too much to have both projects going on at once." He added that he had never been concerned that the renovations for Branford would not be adequately funded, and that he believed the Tower project had always been separate from the Branford repairs.

Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg said that she had no information on the funding for Harkness. However, she said the Carillonneurs would be able to play at graduation this year.

Until funding and definite renovation plans can be confirmed, however, the Carillonneurs' plans are up in the air, at least for next year. Dean Greene said, "When the word comes in that funds have finally been secured for a Tower renovation, and once a construction crew has been scheduled to begin the work, then I think it's fair to say that the Great Bells would probably go silent for the duration of that renovation." He says that although the timeframe for the construction depends upon "what surprises lie in store for the crew once work has begun," it would take between three and nine months. Ebner was unavailable for comment at press time.

When Harkness Tower finally does become inaccessible to the Carillonneurs, they will be able to train their "heelers" on the brand new, $65,000 set of practice bells Dean Greene bought for the Guild. "Right now we're just looking for a large, secure room on the first floor to put them in," he said.

"The new set of practice bells will be extremely helpful," Lee said. "The Dean's Office has been tremendously helpful. And, anyway, long-term we'd love to have the tower be renovated, because it's in pretty poor shape right now."

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