An iconic face in downtown Okotoks should be repaired by mid-December, but it may have to be removed from the site to do so.
The clock in Olde Towne Okotoks plaza was struck by vandals during the last weekend of September. The plexi-glass front was smashed and a beer can was wedged between its hands.
Despite parks crews cleaning up the damage and restore the clock to working condition immediately, the clock stopped working one week later.
“We thought we were lucky, it was all good, because it started working right away,” said Okotoks parks manager Christa Michailuck.
The offenders have not been identified at this time.
During the second week of October the hands stopped turning, forcing the Town to investigate the issue closer.
Initially, it was assumed the gears had been stripped when the beer can was jammed into the clock face, but a conversation with the Montreal-based clock builder eliminated that possibility.
“He assures us there are no plastic gears, it is all made with brass gears, so we highly doubt the gears were stripped,” said Okotoks facilities management manager Brian Couronne. “Brass gears don’t do that easily.”
Instead, the diagnosis is a burned-out motor.
A new motor is being shipped from the original clock maker to Okotoks, and once it arrives a local clock builder, based out of Calgary, will install it, said Couronne.
The cost of parts is $1,800 and Couronne estimates labour fees will drive the cost of repairs up to at least $2,500.
If repairs cannot be done on-site at the plaza, the total cost could increase to almost $4,000, he said.
“We don’t have a picker truck, and it costs $600 to rent one, so to remove the clock and take it to our shop and then to return it would be at least $1,200,” said Couronne.
He said the Town is hoping the work can be done in the plaza with the help of a scissor lift.
“These outdoor repairs, you have to time with the weather, so we’re hoping it holds for another week or two while we wait for the motor to arrive,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the damage to the clock face can report to the Town or the Okotoks RCMP at 403-995-6400 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
