NORWAY – Jim Bryant, the keeper of the century-old Opera House timepiece, is back on the job.

Following the closure of the three-story brick building on Main Street last September when the roof partially collapsed and an equally unexpected harsh winter, Bryant returned to Norway this week to continue the delicate work of restoring the E. Howard clock in the tower.

“I had to wait for the weather to cooperate,” Bryant said Tuesday during a break as the tower’s bell struck 10 times.

“The other day the wind was blowing so hard I had to stop,” said the 73-year-old Monmouth resident. He said although he appears to be mostly hanging outside the tower, he is actually securely attached from the inside.

Bryant was hired by the town last year to restore the four dials to their original E. Howard hand-style. The hands were replaced about 50 years ago, and because they were too heavy for the gearing, extensive wear occurred.

Under Bryant’s proposal to the town, the hands will be replaced with original-style E. Howard hands and dial work using cast acrylic surfacing and marine aluminum numerals. It will be finished with 23-karat gold leaf numbers and hands on a slate black surface, bringing back the clock to its former glory and providing years of maintenance-free service.

Residents got a preview of what the gold-leaf dials will look like last week when one set was put in place temporarily.

On Tuesday, Bryant continued the process of replacing rotted wood before he mounts the new dial surfaces permanently. Once the numerals are mounted, the new hands will go on, he said.

“Finally the new hands will go on to stay on,” he said.

Bryant said everything has to be hauled up through several small hatch openings that grant access past the bell to the clock tower. “It’s a matter of so many pieces,” he explained. “Everything is drilled and prepared to mount.” he said.

Although it was originally anticipated that the work would be done by April 1, delays have moved that date back at least a month.

Bryant, who is a founding member of the Maine Chapter of Watch and Clock collectors, shared a dream he has to take an E. Howard clock he purchased at auction from a 1832 church in Waterville and erect a landmark tower clock in his birthtown and now hometown of Wayne.

But for the time being, he will be seen hanging from the Opera House clock tower in downtown Norway.