If you find yourself gazing up at Abbot Hall's signature belltower this spring, don't be surprised when you notice that the building's weather vane is missing.

On Thursday afternoon, two workers, suspended in a metal basket from a crane, were hoisted to the top of the building to take down the weather-aged vane, which maintenance worker Steve Ware said had become "a real hazard."

"There was a metal fitting that was holding it in place up there and it was catching water and wearing away," Ware said. "It just had to come down."

Whether the vane will be refurbished or replaced altogether, Ware said, hasn't yet been determined.

As for where town officials will be keeping it for the time being, all Ware could say was that "it's a secret."