Restoring Hebe without dipping into tax dollars
When it comes to restoration work involving historic downtown statue Hebe, local volunteers should be applauded on two fronts.
For starters, they should be recognized for their efforts to repair the statue. And secondly, they need to be commended for getting this work done without the use of tax dollars.
Such an effort brings the argument about whether Hebe should be restored to an abrupt halt. If an organization is willing to take the burden of restoration on its own shoulders, and then foot the bill in the process, that group needs all the support the community can muster.
In this case, Hebe’s upcoming facelift results from the work of two organizations, Heritage Alliance and McMinnville Garden Club. It was through the garden club, and members who knew metallurgist Jim McGaw, that Hebe restoration is possible.
Before McGaw entered the picture, repairs to Hebe had been estimated as much as $40,000. Many residents considered this a high price to pay for a statue rich in historical significance, but without much more than aesthetic value to the downtown area. A number of residents saw the $40,000 estimate as a grossly inflated figure and deemed Hebe not worth saving at that cost.
Fortunately, volunteers with Heritage Alliance thought otherwise and took the time to investigate the situation further. It was certainly worth a second look to try and preserve a statue which had been a Court Square mainstay since 1915.
Hebe may not have significance to some residents, but to others it is a vital piece of Warren County history. And once that history is gone, it can never be replaced.
The statue is said to be representative of the goddess of eternal youth in Greek mythology. It was donated to the city by Laura Davis Worley in connection with the Women’s Civic League in February, 1915 in hopes of placing a classical statue downtown.
Approaching 90 years later, Worley’s dream has been realized as Hebe remained downtown until last Saturday when she was removed for the repair work. The statue won’t be returned until next year when Main Street officially kicks off its redevelopment effort.
The Standard wishes to take this time to thank everyone involved in Hebe restoration. The money to save Hebe has been gathered through private fund-raisers – not taxpayer dollars – and that’s no doubt appealing news to everyone. And a special thanks goes out to McGaw who is generously donating his time out of a sense of community responsibility.
It is through the efforts of McGaw, and many volunteers, that McMinnville will have a revitalized Hebe to proudly display. It’s one of the little things which contributes to having a nicer place to call home.