Repairs Needed at Fountain Rock Lime Kilns
In 2009, Frederick County Parks and Recreation began to notice a significant amount of bricks falling from the Fountain Rock Lime Kilns’ west side oven arch barrels. Frederick County’s Fountain Rock Park abuts Walkersville’s Community Park, and can be accessed from a nature trail in Walkersville.
At the time, Frederick County Board of County Commissioners approved asking the National Park Service – Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) to complete a Condition Assessment Report to ascertain the reason for the brick failure. They also approved designs and plans to be made for repairs.
The HPTC determined the failure of the of the kiln roof to be the culprit. The flow of water through the arch barrels cause the ongoing masonry deterioration.
After years of efforts to solicit donations failed, County Executive Jan Gardner proposes that Frederick County spend $460,512 in fiscal year 2016 to resolve the issue. The previous government spent $139,800 planning the project.
The stabilization and repair of the lime kilns will be a two-part project. First, the membrane of the kiln roof needs to be replaced. HPTC will then provide a post-construction test and written evaluation to confirm that the water infiltration problems have been rectified. Once this has been determined, HPTC will remove and replace deteriorated bricks, perform selective brick re-pointing, and reconstruct soffit areas, as needed.
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