'Bert' the Liberty Eagle Set for Repairs After Being Struck by Truck

Bert may be a bird, but much like a cat, it seems he has nine lives.

The Liberty Eagle, standing tall and peering over Schooley’s Mountain Road at the intersection of Flocktown Road, was again struck by a truck making too wide of a turn this year. The incident is eerily similar to the same occurrence in 2010, when the base of the sculpture was struck and began to rot.

Washington Township’s insurance policy covers the damage, however, and repairs are beginning. Artisan Kriss Olsen will be performing the repairs – as she did in 2010 – and the project completion, weather pending, is scheduled for the end of the month.

The total cost for the project, with equipment and labor, comes to $4,479.51, according to Teri Lyons, Washington Township Office Manager. As of Wednesday, the supplies had been shipped and were expected to be in Long Valley in the coming days, Lyons said.

The sculpture was created by Harry Robinson and completed in 1999 out of the dying Liberty Tree.