Saturday, December 14, 2024
Granbury’s three-story clock tower, located on top of the historic courthouse, will soon receive quarterly inspections — at no cost to the county.
Leland Larsen, Hood County’s director of facilities maintenance, first brought concerns to the Hood County Commissioners Court Oct. 8 regarding the courthouse clock’s accuracy and condition.
He explained that there are a couple of issues with the clock, stating that the gears have been skipping about every six seconds every hour and that the clock is currently running 15 minutes fast.
“Clock makers are really kind of rare these days,” Larsen said. “There’s one in Hood County, there’s one in Parker (County), and there’s one on the east side of Tarrant (County).”
Larsen said he contacted A Chime in Time, a clock repair company located in Oak Trail Shores. After owner Craig Stolte inspected the clock tower, he recommended some repairs that needed to be made.
"I asked him if he would offer us some kind of maintenance plan or inspection of the clock — that way we can get ahead and fix issues before they come problematic,” he explained. “He offered to inspect the clock quarterly at no cost to the county, that way we can stay ahead of the game on that.”
He added that A Chime in Time will quote any repairs necessary and that the county will also be able to gather multiple bids from the other two clock repair companies in the area.
The agenda item was initially tabled Oct. 8, as Precinct 2 Commissioner Nannette Samuelson had some concerns regarding liability and the lack of a contract with the company.
"I'm very glad that he's willing to do this at no cost, but I think that we need to ensure that we have whatever it is he's going to do in writing on a quarterly basis, and ensure that there's appropriate insurance in place,” she said. “The clock tower is pretty high up, and it's an older building, and we just need to be sure that if something happens, if he falls or breaks something else in the building, that it's going to be covered by our own insurance.”
During the regular meeting Nov. 12, Larsen reported that a maintenance agreement had been created which specifically outlines the company’s scope of work, payment terms and liability.
"We've had a few changes since the last time I was here,” Larsen said. “Craig, the owner of A Chime in Time, has gone out on his own and purchased the insurance he needs to work on the clock.”
The one-year agreement states that before any work is initiated, the working area will be inspected by A Chime in Time to ensure safe working conditions. The company also agreed it will not hold the county liable for any injuries or damages resulting from the work outlined in the agreement.
Charges will be waived for the inspection services, but the county will still be responsible for payment of any repairs identified by the inspections in accordance with the Hood County purchasing department policies.
Samuelson made a motion to approve the proposal from A Chime in Time to provide quarterly inspections of the clock tower at the historical courthouse at no cost to the county. With a second from Precinct 3 Commissioner Jack Wilson, the motion passed unanimously.
