Two new hands: Repairs underway on Church Street clock tower

Workers completed repairs to the clock faces and mechanisms on the tower of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Wednesday. The church sits at the top of Church Street in downtown Burlington.

Crews from Hilltown Clock Repair LLC and Clockworks Inc. are handling the project. Both companies are based in western Massachusetts. Each of the four clock faces is receiving a new hand.

James Stoudenmier, the owner of Clockworks Inc., noted that the work requires custom fabrication. “You can’t go to Walmart and buy this part. We have to make it,” Stoudenmier said. He explained that the specific parts needed depend on the job’s circumstances and any previous modifications to the mechanism.

The church has relied on volunteers to maintain the tower in recent years. Rev. Karen G. Johnston, a leader at the congregation, stated that members hand crank and wind the clock every five to seven days. The group has been without a formal job for the past couple of years due to the clock's condition.

Johnston said the community views the tower as an iconic landmark for Burlington and the state. The congregation will hold a celebration for the restored clock on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 11:45 a.m. The event is scheduled to end right before the clock chimes at noon.