PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission accepted bids to restore the Wood County Courthouse’s bell tower.

The commission opened five bids Thursday from companies to restore the bell tower’s spire. Officials have discussed plans that call for installing a pyramid-like crown on top of the tower like one the building originally had for years prior to 1953 when the spire was removed.

“This is an interesting project in that we are turning it back to its original state,” Commission President Blair Couch said. “We have worked very long and very hard on this. We have invested in this courthouse for a long time and plan to continue to do so. Historic preservation is what we are after.”

The plan calls for installing a pyramid-like crown on top of the tower like one the building originally had for years prior to the 1950s. The work would also include roof repairs, stairwell reconstruction up to the tower and other work associated with restoring the bell tower.

The commission opened bids from Caliber Contracting Services of Pittsburgh for $543,700; Landcorp Builders LLC of Milton for $406,000; Phoenix Associates Inc. of Parkersburg for $685,170; Murray Sheet Metal of Parkersburg for $394,615; and General Restoration Corp. of Columbus for $449,000.

All of the bids are being reviewed by County Administrator Marty Seufer and Chris Campbell from ZMM Architects & Engineers of Charleston. Officials hope to be able to award the project within the next week or so.

“This will change the profile of downtown Parkersburg,” Couch said.

The county has applied for and received Courthouse Facility Improvement Grants for this project.

Officials have found documents and old pictures detailing what the bell tower’s cap looked like. Technology has allowed the engineers to take old photographs and understand proportions and scale, Campbell said.

“We did not have drawings of this building to start with,” he said. “We had to field measure and do a lot of what we needed and take the old photographs to make sure we were getting the perspective out of it.”

Once the work begins, officials want to put up a time-lapse camera to have a record of the work and show how the work is progressing.

Seufer said once the bell tower is completed and lighting poles are installed, the courthouse restorations will be completed.

“Everything will be put back as close as possible,” he said.

In other business:

* The commission signed a resolution declaring Nov. 21, 2019 World Pancreatic Day in Wood County. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. It is the 9th most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and 10th in men. It may only cause vague symptoms of abdomen pain, weight loss, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea and onset of diabetes.

* The commission put Mike Goldsberry in nomination to the Wood County Recreation Commission.

* The commission put Dave Lawson in nomination to the Lubeck Public Service District Board.

* The commission put Tony Boggs, Joshua W. Downey, Michele Rusen, Charles Hasse, Tiffany Kiger, Steve Worden and Larry Barnhart to the Wood County Community Corrections Advisory Board.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com