So the City of Vernon has enough free funds floating around to buy up even more downtown land (next to existing city-owned land that it has yet to do anything with), but they can’t seem to afford to repair a downtown fixture.
The hands of time have been stuck for four years at Vernon’s clock tower. That’s right, for four years people have either been figuring it’s 11 a.m., when it’s really 2 p.m., or they’ve said the heck with it and abandoned relying on the ancient time machine. Therefore even if it does get fixed, few people are likely to depend on it for an accurate telling of time.
However, it’s embarrassing to know city officials have let it go this long. So to prevent any further shame on our city, something needs to be done.
The fact that a Vernon landmark hasn’t worked for four years, and no one has cared enough to fix the situation, speaks volumes about how we value the image of our city. Not to mention the message it sends courtesy of city hall.
So what is the holdup? Just because the clock expert retired a few years ago, the responsibility is still there to keep the clock in working order.
You wouldn’t abandon your car if it wouldn’t start, just because your mechanic retired. No, you’d find a new mechanic. Sure the cost to fix the clock could run the city anywhere from $8,400 to $30,000, but a reasonable solution at a reasonable price seems doable.
And surely the costs wouldn’t be so high now if the problem had been fixed four years ago.
That clock is a piece of downtown heritage and needs to be restored…before time runs out.
