Every week we set out to answer a question submitted by one of our readers as part of our You Ask...Patch Answers column.

Last week, we received an email from Charles Stacey, who wondered when local residents can expect the trademark weather vane will return to the top of Abbot Hall. 

Charles asked: "I am curious as to when the weather vane will be put back into place at the top of Abbott Hall?"

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In case you haven't noticed, Abbot Hall's trademark weather vane was taken down in March after it was deemed structurally deficient during a review of the building's exterior.

On March 15, 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."

Although Ware said the weather vane would be stored in a "secret" location after it was removed, Historical Commission Chair Chris Johnston said Monday that it is currently sitting in a storage room in the basement of Abbot Hall.

Can residents expect the vane to be put back up any time soon? Johnston said the simple answer is no.

"It will definitely have to be replaced," Johnston said, "but we don't know when yet."

Though there is no set timeline for the installation of a new weather vane on the building, Johnston said the Historical Commission is working on getting a new one up as soon as possible.

If you have a question for us, not matter how strange it may seem, let us know and we'll try to find the answers.