Hatboro Officials: No Plan to Dismantle Clock Tower

You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief. Hatboro historian David Shannon allayed fears when he shared with the borough council that the previously mentioned plans to disassemble the borough’s clock tower in order to precisely determine fixes necessary to restart it were no more.

“Nobody’s touching that clock until the entire funds are raised,” Shannon said, moments after presenting the council with a $5,000 check to cover a borough match for a . “The money that is being raised for this project is not coming out of any borough funds whatsoever.”

To date, the Millbrook Society has raised more than $1,000 beyond the portion needed for the first grant, which covers the cost of Keith Winship of Winships’ Pieces of Time devising a thorough restoration plan.

So thorough in fact, that during the council’s meeting earlier this month, he told the governing body that he intended to spend 100 hours dismantling the historic clock and another 20 to 30 hours putting it back together.

On Monday night, Councilwoman Patty Fleming, who sits on a committee looking to further the clock tower’s restoration efforts, agreed that Winship no longer intends to disassemble the clock as part of his initial course of action. 

Instead, Winship will base his restoration recommendations on the clock’s condition in terms of its age and what he is able to ascertain from looking at it inside the tower.

That work can not begin until Hatboro officials approve a contract giving Winship permission to access the clock tower and freeing the borough from liability. Council President John Zygmont told Patch that the contract would "not be handled before the December meeting.”