[RP TownTalk] Anniversary Town Clock

[johnferg27 at aol.com]

The Town Clock was purchased in 1995 to commemorate the Town's 75th  
anniversary.  The cost of the clock ($25,000) was totally paid with  donations from 
residents and businesses.  To see a complete list of donors,  see The Riverdale 
Story:  Mansion to Municipality, pages vii,  viii.
 
The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio made the clock.  This  company dates 
back to 1842 and continues as a family business over  the last six generations. 
 Some of the national sites  that display a Verdin clock (or clocks) are the 
Smithsonian, Notre Dame, the  Mayo Clinic, and the National Basilica in 
Washington, D. C. plus others  that can be seen on the Verdin website.  This is a 
well-made clock that  should be respected and maintained.
 
As this was my project, I oversaw the maintenance of the clock from 1995 to  
2001.  The console is located in the Gordon Wells building at Town Center  
under an arrangement with Mr. Wells and an annual token payment was  agreed upon 
to cover electricity.
 
The chimes were programmed to ring from 7 or 8 am to 11 pm.  The clock  has a 
surge protector  that shuts down the chimes when an electrical storm  or 
power outage occurs.  A manual is available at Town Hall (or by request  from 
Verdin) that outlines the operation of the clock.  I was able to  reboot the chime 
operation when the surge protector shut it down.
 
I learned to make basic adjustments and, on a few occasions,  called a 
certified Verdin repair specialist in.  The fee(s) were  reasonable. 
 
The clock operated dependably over the six years that I monitored its  
status.  If no one has taken on the oversight of its operation, then no  call has 
been made in the past five years for a Verdin specialist  to lubricate and check 
out the mechanical system.  I know there  are many residents very well 
qualified as computer  specialists -- far  beyond the knowledge I had on the 
subject.  If one person would read the  manual and take note of the time and the 
status of the chiming just once each  week, I feel the clock would operate very 
dependably.  Of course, it would  be important to determine whether any routine 
maintenance has been done in the  past five years.  I know the Town budget has 
discretionary categories  that would permit such modest maintenance expense 
with little problem.
 
Also, the clock is equipped with chips that will provide an assortment of  
chime programs -- patriotic, traditional, seasonal, etcetera.  Again, that  
process is not prohibitive to operate and I recall when the Veterans Monument  was 
dedicated that Rob was good enough to play the patriotic chime program at  
the end of the dedication.
 
Hope you will keep the Anniversary Clock as something "special" about the  
Town.
 
                                                                Ann  Ferguson
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