A full restoration of the St. Paul's clock tower led to a discussion March 1 about the possibility of establishing a public fund to collect private donations for the project.
In February, at no cost to the village, Vinny Muldoon, owner of Old World Quality Corp., fixed the tower's south face after it was damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
The clock's wooden backer panels, which Muldoon said were actually in "pretty good condition," fell inward into the tower during the storm and the main bracket was heated and re-fastened.
"Obviously it's never going to tell the time again," he said, "but we're going to do the best we possibly can to get it looking like it used to." (Muldoon's work proposal also addressed two main leaks - approximately 1,600 square feet - of the St. Paul's roof.)
Mayor Don Brudie said the restoration would get the clock in working order so it could be illuminated on all four sides and seen throughout the village at night.
Some trustees, however, were concerned that the establishment of a fund was premature since the use of the building is unknown at this time.
"We don't know what's going to happen here, to set that up and collect money for something where we aren't really exactly sure of what it is," trustee Nick Episcopia said, adding, "A public building, I think it should be repaired with public funds."
Trustee Dennis Donnelly agreed. "I'm not in favor of creating a fund from private donations until such time that we know what we are doing with the structure."
The board voted down the idea by a 5-3 vote. Trustees Andrew Cavanaugh and John Watras sided with the mayor while trustees John DeMaro, Laurence Quinn, Episcopia, Donnelly and Brian Daughney voted against the idea.
Would you donate private funds to fully restore the clock? Let us know in the comments.
Patch reporter Victoria Centrella contributed to this article.
