Supervisors appoint Ray as point person; county plans clock reinstallation and June 19 start

The Benton County Board of Supervisors appointed Ray as the county’s point person for the courthouse clock-tower project and discussed a short public timeline for reinstallation and celebration.

A presenter on the project told the board that the clock’s parts will be finished by a supplier (Mechanical Watch Supply) and that the plan is to display the clock in the courthouse on Sunday, June 8, then transport and reassemble the mechanism in the tower and start it on June 19 — the anniversary of the clock’s donation in 1906. “He wants to have it on display and then take it up to the tower and then start it on the day of its anniversary,” the presenter said.

Board members debated whether to maintain a standing committee or only appoint a small point team; given the project’s near-completion status and that several earlier committee members have died or moved on, supervisors agreed to appoint Ray as the board’s point of contact. One supervisor moved to put Ray in charge of the project and the motion passed unanimously; Ray accepted the appointment.

Supervisors and staff said the maintenance team and historic-preservation volunteers will coordinate a short public display period in the courthouse before reassembly in the tower. The board discussed whether a larger committee was needed; members agreed the short timeline and volunteers made a smaller point-person arrangement appropriate for completion.

Why this matters: The clock is an historic courthouse artifact; finishing and re-starting the mechanism on its donation anniversary has cultural and preservation significance for the community. The appointment centralizes communication about logistics and public outreach so volunteers and maintenance staff can proceed on the established schedule.