The hands of time may be marching on for a long-awaited restoration of Hatboro’s Borough Hall clock tower.

On Monday, the borough council voted to approve a grant application to the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission seeking $6,800 - $5,000 from the state and $1,800 in matching funds. If received, the money would be used to devise a detailed plan on the equipment, labor, cost and timeline necessary for disassembling, preserving and reassembling the clock, which sits atop borough hall.

Keith Winship of Hatboro antique clock restoration business Winships’ Pieces of Time, is one of two men who has been pushing for the restoration since roughly 2008. Once funding is in hand, Winship will work to put together the very detailed restoration plan.

“One of the problems that the clock has now is it’s suffered many, many years of what I would consider to be poor repairs,” Winship said. “At this point, running the clock is doing damage.”

And further damage is the last thing Winship wants.

“Every part of it needs to be preserved or restored,” Winship said. “We don’t just want to fix it so it’ll run some more. It’s past that.”

The clock’s past is what has gotten the attention of Winship and Charles Roche’, whose office is in direct view of the historic clock tower. Roche began his quest when he looked to the clock for the correct time only to see it was not in working order.

“To me, a clock has to tick,” said Roche’, who has 13 clocks in his Chestnut Hill home. “It has to ring bells.”

His interest in the borough’s clock was further piqued once he discovered its history. Horsham native Isaiah Lukens installed the clock in 1812. Lukens later made a similar clock for Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

“To me, that clock means so much,” Roche’ said. “One hundred years from now it would be nice to see that clock working.”

Historian David Shannon, along with state Rep. Tom Murt and Sen. Stewart Greenleaf wrote letters to PHMC in support of the project.

“This clock is arguably one of the most valuable artifacts not only here in Hatboro, but also the Commonwealth,” Shannon wrote. “To the best of my knowledge it is only one of three built by Isaiah Lukens and the last in active use.”

Because of its rareness, size and weight – Winship estimates the clock itself weighs 300 to 400 pounds and each of the two clock weights is about 400 pounds – it would be a tremendous undertaking to remove via the “rickety ladder” leading up to the tower.

Prior to voting Monday, Council President Marianne Reymer voiced concerns over liability for some of these reasons. The council’s solicitor said liability issues could be addressed as the project progresses.

Part of Winship’s plan is to determine a precise restoration cost. For now, Roche’ estimates it would cost about $30,000. Murt’s legislative aide, Bill Dixon, said future grants could be applied for to cover the preservation expense. Right now, the only state funding available is of the planning nature, he said.

For the time being, Roche’ intends to fundraise for the $1,800 match needed for Winship to research and write the plan. But, before that process gets underway, Roche’ said an independent trust of some sort must be established.

“It becomes something that we pass from generation to generation,” Roche’ said. “Doing it this way assures the survival of the project.”

Reymer agreed that establishing a trust or separate fund is the best approach to ensuring that Roche’ and the rest of the community can again rely on the borough’s clock to do its intended job: Tell time.