NORWAY – A Paris painter says he has reached the damaged weather vane on top of the Opera House before, but is not sure if the Department of Labor would approve another trip up.

Last month, clock repairman Jim Bryant said he did not know how the weather vane could be accessed aside from a helicopter or crane from Main Street, which would be difficult due to power lines. Bryant said the 19th-century weather vane is in need of repair and is missing its east-west directionals.

Smith added that the metallic roof of the tower is also in need of work.

“That roof has needed painting since I worked on the clock 20 years ago,” he said.

Smith, who was hired in the 1980s to paint the clock face in the Opera House tower, said he was able to access the roof of the tower after a 40-foot ladder was set up from the building’s roof. He said an additional 16-foot ladder was hauled onto the tower roof to access the top of the weather vane.

Smith said both ladders were brought up over the side of the building. He said the weather vane was used in setting up cables on the roof, and he used a block and tackle to hoist himself alongside a clock face. He said he did the painting job once, for $500, and it required four trips up to each clock face.

“It was scary. No doubt about it,” Smith said.

He said he has painted for 38 years, including several steeples in the area, and would return to the top of the tower “in a heartbeat.”

“I don’t know if I could get up there and be OSHA-approved,” he said. “That wasn’t an issue back then.”

Town Manager David Holt said accessing the weather vane would be something he would want researched thoroughly before any attempt was made.

“I’m very concerned about safety,” Holt said.

The Opera House, built in 1894, has been a subject of concern in the town since Sept. 21, 2007, when a partial roof collapse led to flooding in every floor of the three-story brick building. Two ground-floor businesses were forced to move, while the upper stories had been vacant for decades.

Holt, along with building owner Barry Mazzaglia and engineer Alfred Hodson toured the building Thursday. Holt said a report on the condition of the building will be prepared within seven to 10 days.

Holt said that while he has consulted Bryant on repairing the weather vane, Bryant has not gotten back to him.

“It’s not the hottest thing on our agenda, but it would be a nice thing to do at some point,” Holt said.