Workshop Item Todd Miller, Deputy Fire Marshall
Title
City Hall Clock Repair
Background
The design of city hall included a clock tower as a feature of the building. The city hall clock located on the front of the building was installed as part of the original construction and has been in operation for the last 19 years. The clock has required a handful of service calls over the years. In the fall of 2019, the clock stopped working, the cause of which was determined to be the motors failing.
Staff was directed to solicit quotes to repair the clock or replace the clock with a new face, which would include a lighted City of Blaine logo. The city’s building maintenance contractor, McGough, solicited quotes for both options. Due to the limited number of companies qualified to make the repairs needed, McGough informed staff they were able to secure quotes from only one company - Archetype. The clock parts are not local and would be sent from Lumichron Commercial Clocks, a company in Michigan, to Archetype, which is a local Minnesota sign company.
|
Repair Existing Clock |
Clock parts and motor |
$3,012 |
|
|
LED retrofit and installation of new |
$14,250 |
|
|
clock parts |
|
|
|
Total |
$17,262 |
|
|
|
|
|
Replace Clock w/ City |
Face Survey and verify size |
$5,965 |
|
of Blaine Logo |
|
|
|
|
Retrofit with LED Lights |
$14,250 |
|
|
New Acrylic Face with City Logo |
$2250 |
|
|
Total |
$22,465 |
Copies of the quotes are attached. McGough did reach out to another Minnesota company for quotes, however they never returned McGough’s calls.
The quote for the repair and upgrade of the existing clock includes replacing the non-functioning motor with a new motor in addition to replacing and upgrading the lighting to LED lights. This option would cost less than replacing the clock with the city logo, however, the cost of ongoing maintenance, repairs, and the ability to obtain parts in the future is uncertain.
The quote for replacing the clock with a lighted City of Blaine logo is initially more expensive, however with no moving parts, any future maintenance or repairs could be potentially less expensive, but is also unknown. A replacement cost would be incurred if the logo is damaged, or if the city determines at a future time to change the city logo, then this lighted logo would need to be replaced.
Lighting will likely need to be installed to front-light the logo, which would be an additional cost. The clock is backlit, and is able to be adapted for changing light colors if the city wishes to use that feature to recognize different celebrations and awareness days throughout the year.
The Finance Department has advised that $15,000 is appropriated in the 2021 Facilities Budget for the clock tower. Additionally, Finance confirmed there are sufficient funds in reserves if Council desires to replace the clock with the logo option.
Staff Recommendation
Staff is requesting City Council direction as to which option they prefer.
Attachment List
Quotes