The city’s clock tower bell ranks for the first time in decades on Monday.
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The bell could be heard every hour on the hour throughout the downtown starting at 7 am much to the delight of Mayor Kevin Davis.
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“I’m not really sure when it last rank but it has to be at least 40 years or so,” Mayor Kevin Davis said Monday. “I spent my entire professional life working in the downtown and I can’t ever recall hearing it.
“It’s an important part of our history and I’m really pleased to have both the clock and now the bell working.”
Davis said fixing the clock and the clock tower bell adds to the overall atmosphere of the downtown and pays homage to the city’s heritage.
Restoration of the clock and the clock tower bell became a priority for Davis after the city hall was moved to the federal building at 58 Dalhousie St.
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The city spent about $26.6 million on the city hall renovation, with the building officially opened in August 2021.
“I remember all of the discussion leading up to the move and thinking there’s no way we should be moving into a city hall that has a clock that doesn’t work and a bell that doesn’t ring,” Davis said. “It just didn’t seem right.”
Davis acknowledged that some people will say the city has other, more important issues to address, including homelessness and affordable housing.
But Davis said it’s not a matter of taking on one issue at the expense of another.
“We can tackle more than one issue at a time and we’ve shown that,” Davis said. “We’ve made a lot of progress on affordable housing and we’re making progress on other issues as well.”
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Davis has also heard from many people who are pleased to see the clock working and were eager to hear the clock tower bell ring.
The city embarked on a public education campaign last year to determine the frequency and when the bell should ring.
City officials say that an overwhelming majority of those who participated in a survey said the bell should ring every day of the week. A majority of those participated said it should ring at the top of the hour.
“Public input from the community as a whole, and especially those who live, work, and study in the downtown, was very important in determining the schedule for when the bell rings out,” Davis said.
At present, it rings hourly from 7 am to 10 pm daily. The number of rings is consistent with the hour.
The programming of the bell – when it rings and how many times – can be changed if needed.
“Our new city hall has become a source of pride for many city residents,” Davis said. “I’m pleased the restoration work is finally complete and the clock and bell will add to the civic pride and will be enjoyed by the community and visitors to the city for years to come.”
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