I just received the following letter from the Board of Directors in Sun City.
They are responding to a fantastic letter sent to them from our own Patrick Powers over his concern that the sundial in Sun City would be demolished. It seems that "international pressure" from Patrick impressed the Board! And Roger Bailey's letter certainly added official weight from NASS. I'm sending this to you because I know my friend Patrick is too modest to take any credit for their decision reversal to remove the sundial. But I'm sure his letter influenced them. Thanks Patrick & Roger and anybody else who wrote them! John From: Jan Ek [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 2:34 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Board elects to repaif the sundial John, I meant to copy you on Patrick's email... From: Jan Ek Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 10:22 AM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Board elects to repaif the sundial Thank you for your interest in Sun City's sundial, the following press release should eliminate your concerns. From: RCSC [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 10:07 AM Subject: Board elects to repair the sundial February 25, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Board elects to repair the sundial The RCSC Board of Directors has decided to repair the sundial monument at the corner of 103rd Avenue and Boswell Boulevard. At this time, it is impossible to know an exact repair cost until further inspection can be made below the surface. We do know that the three steel supports at the foundation must be repaired to restore the steel supports structural capacity to ensure further deterioration does not occur. Whereas the preliminary cost estimate to remove the sundial is approximately $17,000, the preliminary cost estimate for repair is roughly $50,000. This is an unbudgeted expense, but several individuals have said they are willing to lend a monetary hand to help fix the sundial. All donations earmarked for the sundial repairs should be made through the Sun City Foundation at 10626 W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City, Ariz. 85351. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. No timeline has been set for repairs, but the monument will be shored up in the near future to provide stability and the area will be fenced off for safety reasons. The sundial monument has marked the location of Sundial Recreation Center at the corner of Boswell Boulevard and 103rd Avenue since the center opened in April of 1973 and will remain doing so for many years to come. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 12:01 AM To: Board Office Subject: Sundial at Sun City Hello, This is a message for the Board I understand that you have a sundial as part of the garden amenities in Sun City which is now scheduled for removal. Now, as a citizen of the UK, I cannot and must not try to interfere with the democratic processes of any city or community in the USA but I really hope that I can alert you to the importance of keeping alive the art and technology of whatever sundials still exist in the USA. Your country has so few public dials of any size - and this is an old one by any standards - and to have one that is quite so prominent is a thing to be celebrated. It almost beggars belief that it might be removed because parts of it have corroded and because repair 'would be more expensive than removing it'. If we removed everything in this world that might cost more to repair than remove there would be precious little heritage left. The very name of your city reflects its interest in and connexion with, the sun and a sundial is most certainly NOT a "monument", it is a scientific instrument. It shows what is in fact the 'true' time on earth and not the (perhaps) more convenient 'clock time' with which we are nowadays familiar. The movement of the shadow on the dial shows directly the rotation of the earth - almost certainly you can see it moving - and the length of the shadow even shows the seasons. With a little effort it could be made much more into a publicity feature for your community. Can I please ask that you take the free advice that will be available from any of the officers of the North American Sundial Society (http://www.sundials.org/about_officers.php) or any of its more local members (perhaps John Carmichael at [email protected] ) so that all possible and viable solutions can be investigated before any draconian decisions for removal come to be discussed? Thank you for your attention Kind regards Patrick Powers 16 Moreton Avenue Harpenden Hertfordshire UK AL5 2ET Stay in the loop with RCSC news alert emails! Sign up at <http://www.sunaz.com/> www.sunaz.com --
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