Long has it been PSU tradition that each year around Halloween time pumpkins appear on the Clock Tower in Rounds Hall. This year, however, no pumpkins were to be found on the building.
Halloween weekend attempts were made to break into the building. The attempt was unsuccessful and no one entered the building.
“Apparently last weekend there were efforts to try and break into the tower,” said Tim Keefe, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. “They were not successful in getting access,” he added, “The damage has been repaired.”
The new roof is made of slate and not asphalt, making it impossible for those to utilize it to put pumpkins on the clock tower.
Rounds Hall has just recently finished being under construction. “The main project at Rounds Hall was the replacement of the roofing material,” said Mark Anderson, the Manager of Maintenance Operations. “The last time the roofing material was replaced was in the late ’70’s,” he added. “At that time they replaced the original slate shingles with asphalt shingles,” he said.
Asphalt shingles usually last twenty-five to thirty years, so they were due for replacement. The Asphalt shingles were replaced with slate shingles, restoring Rounds hall to its original material. This is possibly what hindered people from putting pumpkins on the clock tower.
“These new slate shingle should have a life span of 75 to 100 years,” Anderson said. Copper trimming was added to the roof as well. “Rounds Hall is a signature building for the University and the town,” Anderson said. Along with the new roof, may come the end of a long lasting tradition at PSU.
The construction on Rounds, however, has restored the building to its original materials. “It is not confirmed, but according to Melanson Company [The contractors who worked on Rounds], the painting subcontractors that worked on the Rounds clock faces were two former students at Plymouth State,” said Anderson. “It is our understanding that they donated additional time and materials to the job that they did not bill for,” he added.
The Clock Tower is a huge part of Rounds but also a great symbol for the University as a whole. At the center of campus, Rounds can easily be considered the focal point of the PSU campus. “They did an excellent job and took pride in their work,” Anderson remarked. “Physical Plant staff, as well as the rest of the Campus, are very pleased with the outcome,” said Anderson.
The new roof may be the end of a tradition of pumpkins on top of the Clock Tower, but hopefully an alternative will be found in the future since the slate roof will be a part of Rounds for many years.