From left, Frederick Rogers and Blaine Altaffer of the "Save Our Stack" committee look at photographs and bricks from the Morris Fisher stack.

Led by moderator Charles “Spud” Parker, the audience heard the history of the stack and the progress of a $250,000 campaign to repair the 130-foot-tall, century-old brick stack that dominates the town’s and nearby water’s skyline.

“This is the same cause that started the museum (Reedville Fisherman’s Museum),” said stack committee member Charles Williams, “To save our past.”

Historian Robert McKenny addressed the early history of the stack, which he determined was built in 1901 on three acres of land called Pleasant Point by New Jersey transplant Albert Morris. McKenny noted research that pointed to the stack as part of a new menhaden drying system designed by Morris that “revolutionized the industry.”

The stack has been designated a historic site within the past year by the state Department of Historical Resources, said McKenny.

Omega plant manager and stack committee member Monty Deihl said Omega has spent $7,000 to inspect the structure and plans to spend another $13,000 to conduct an extensive geo-technical exploration inspection of the ground around the stack.

It will determine if the stack’s 4-degree lean needs to be addressed or is stable enough to proceed with further restoration. The company also donated $36,000 from selling scrap metal it has raised in a year-long cleanup effort and pledged another $50,000 matching donation to reach the repair cost goal.

Deihl said Industrial Access Chimney Solutions of Atlanta, Ga., was the most competitive bidder by far (at $232,000) to stabilize it and repair the deterioration of the bricks near the top of the stack, with the remainder of the repair estimate going to foundation work, cost overruns or weather delays.

The goals of the company are to preserve the stack and “bind the community together,” said Deihl. The company is willing to deed the point of land on which the stack stands to the Greater Reedville Association, if so desired. No land access through the plant facility to visit the stack, except for maintenance, would be granted though because of liability issues, Deihl said.

Museum board member and stack committee member Blaine Altaffer offered some campaign ideas. He hopes to use the annual Reedville July 4th celebration, which will be held on July 3 this year, as a fund-raising vehicle. A summer concert series may be pursued as well. Special gifts such as hats, shirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers are planned to be sold at different venues, he said.

But the campaign centers around the “Buy a Brick” fund-raising effort that has five tiers of donations. For a “pogy” donation of $20 to $199, the donor receives a custom-designed button or bumper sticker. For a “bunker” donation of $200 to $499, a donor will receive custom-designed stationery with a drawing of the stack by Kathy Humphrey-Jones.

For a “menhaden” level donation of $500 to $999, a donor will receive a numbered print of the drawing by Jones. For a “Smith Bros.” level donation of $1,000 to $4,999, the donor will receive a larger print of the drawing. For a “Morris Fisher” donation of $5,000 or more, a donor will receive a replacement brick made for the repair work and be honored on a plaque at the stack.

All donation levels from the bunker and above will be honored on another plaque in the museum, said Altaffer. The donations could be made anonymously, in the donor’s name or in the name of someone else.

“We want to make this personal for everyone,” said Altaffer.

Museum treasurer Keith Dobson said all the donations, except for cash, would be tracked and if the campaign falls short, the money would be returned by the end of the year.

Committee members said they are fast tracking the effort because the stack may not survive another year at the current rate of deterioration. The repair experts would also like to get started on the job before the hurricane season hits its peak months of September and October, they said.

Generally, higher winds and more unpredictable fall weather could also cause delays and complications with working up on high-level scaffolding. Deihl said the company is already scheduled to come by mid-July for the estimated month-long repair time frame.

Fund-raising brochures will be printed within a week, said Altaffer. Once that “tool” is in hand, committee members will be approaching corporate sponsors, including Verizon and Virginia Dominion Power, as well as local businesses and individuals.

The committee hopes to have a good idea on how the campaign is progressing by the end of June.

Some $7,000 was raised at the meeting, including a $5,000 donation, Altaffer reported on May 20. With the $86,000 donated or pledged by Omega, more than $100,000 has been raised, said committee member Becky Haynie.

“This has taken on a good momentum,” said Haynie.

As the meeting ended, longtime Reedville residents shared stories about the stack. Ed “Bootsie” Rice lived next to the stack when he was growing up and recalled climbing to the top as a boy on the inside using u-shaped rings built into the bricks. The view was incredible, but his father was not happy with him when he found out, said Rice.

“Daddy threatened to kill me if I did it again,” said Rice wryly.

“I remember seeing the stack all my life,” concluded committee member Wendell Haynie. “If something happened and it came down, that would be terrible. We have this golden opportunity with all of Omega’s support. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. We can’t let it slip by.”