Members are working to bring awareness of city clock placement to the public.

LEWISTON – The Lewiston Youth Advisory Council is striving to enhance public awareness on the placing of the city’s 1891 E. Howard clock. Restored by Balzer Family Clock Works last year, an effort is under way toward creating a multi-level display of the historic timepiece at Lewiston City Hall.

The youth council was recently asked by Assistant City Administrator Phil Nadeau to consider raising awareness for this project and the need for additional financial and in-kind donations. The youth council agreed to come on board and have since met with City Engineer Mike Paradis and Bill Clifford, chairman of the Historic Preservation Review Board.

As part of their awareness effort, the council has commenced filming, in affiliation with Great Falls TV, a video regarding the historic significance of the clock and the project at hand.

If the project comes to fruition, the clock mechanisms will be placed on the second-floor landing of City Hall, with a 14-foot pendulum extending through the floor below to the Pine Street entrance. Harriman Associates and Modern Glass have expressed their willingness to provide in-kind labor toward a glass encasement for the clock and pendulum, with Modern Glass also willing to provide glass at cost.

On June 17 council Chairwoman Tarrah Bowen and Vice Chairwoman Katie Lauze interviewed Balzer, who shared his enthusiasm for the time piece. He stressed his belief that should the clock be put on public display, residents and tourists alike will come to visit, noting that in Lawrence, Mass., their restored clock has become a “beacon for everyone, a symbol of where the town is going.”

Those in the community who would like to learn more about the project and/or contribute to the fund-raising initiative may contact the council at 784-2951, extension 110, or City Engineer Mike Paradis at 784-5753, extension 203.