GENESEO – New video posted by the Association for the Preservation of Geneseo (APOG) shows a digital cutter carving the basin for the bear fountain.
Rock of Ages in Vermont is carving an exact replica of the 1888 fountain base, made possible by digitized 3D scans commissioned by APOG. Kurt Cylke, a member of APOG, said that bringing the bear back has been a community effort.
“This whole process has been amazing,” said Kurt Cylke of APOG. “Start with one National Historic Landmark District and a Premier State College… add a dose of citizens with civic pride, a tea spoon of (APOG) non-profit with a commitment to historic preservation, a dash of SUNY Geneseo Alumni support and bake for 12 months and and you have a community ready to celebrate the return of the Bear.”
The bear has been missing for more than a year. A milk truck famously crashed into the fountain on April 7, 2016, ruining the basin and sending the pedestal and bronze bear, Emmeline, away for repairs.
Cylke and Geneseo Mayor Richard Hatheway have maintained since January 2017 that the plan is to return the fountain to Main Street in summer 2017.
Still, Cylke said that the plan for transporting the finished pieces and finally reassembling them is ‘only a vague timeline’ for now.