A small Mackenzie township finally has the go-ahead to repair its historic main street clock, ending nearly a year of delays.
At a meeting this week, the Fairlie Community Board approved $15,532 to replace and restore the town's clock after it stopped running last year.
The decision brings relief to a project plagued by delays due to a lack of expertise and specialised parts.
The project would be funded through the Fairlie Township Projects Budget, which held $62,596 in available funds as of September, and would see contractor Paceracer Limited install two new 70-metre outdoor clocks.
It would also include mounting components, traffic management during installation, and built-in GPS mechanisms for automatic daylight savings adjustments.
"Council's operations team has advised that these costs may be funded through the Township Budget, with final costs to be confirmed by council staff prior," the meeting agenda said.
The board received the report and recommendations, approving the full funding amount and delegating authority to the council for project finalisation and purchasing.
The large pole-mounted gents slave clock sits along Fairlie's main street and utilises electrical impulses across wired networks rather than typical internal or independent pendulum movements.
The clock connects to a master within the Mackenzie District Council chambers, just across the road.
However, the historic style, rising in popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, has meant a specialist repairer needed to complete the work.
Meeting archives showed the clock was previously refurbished in 2011, with the board's chairman noting it was functioning well at the time but by November last year, it stopped working.
By February, council staff had engaged an electrician, but told the board that progress was delayed because contractors were "very busy. "
At the time, the Fairlie Community Board posted to social media in search of a watch or clock maker in the area.
"Our town clock has stopped working - the light is still operating, but the clock itself isn't running," they said.
In April, community board chairperson Simon Cassie said the project had stalled, and member Jamie McMurtrie said he believed contractors had accidentally connected the 12-volt clock to a 240-volt power source, destroying its internal components.
The contractor reportedly denied causing any damage.
At an August meeting, McMurtrie expressed frustration to board members that the repairs had not progressed despite repeated requests and engagement with council staff.
McMurtrie offered to pay for the repairs but this was declined by the council, with the meeting agenda saying project delays "reflected poorly on both staff and the Council."
He was told by elected members that his role was not operations, but governance, and that repairs were progressing.
With repairs approved, the board delegated authority to council to finalise purchasing and deposit funding, calling for the project to proceed "as soon as possible."
Clock failures have made headlines across South Canterbury in recent years, with Timaru battling to repair its clock tower since 2019 when the district council spent $10,000 on an overhaul.
And in 2023, the council sought several parts from England for the repairs.
The Temuka township also experienced issues 2022, when the Main St clock face had to be removed for repairs.
