Volunteers push to restore Ocean Beach clock tower; committee says project near funding goal

A New London volunteer committee on April 21 asked the City Council to support a multi‑phase effort to restore a clock tower at Ocean Beach Park, describing engineering work, fundraising and options that would reuse an existing light tower as the base for a restored clock structure.

Tom Quinton, who identified himself as chairman of the Save Ocean Beach clock tower committee and as an engineering technician for the city, told councilors the group has reviewed a 1988 engineering study and inspected an extant light tower that the committee proposes to repurpose as the clock tower base. "If there's no corrosion on that metal, since it's all solid galvanized ... that metal [is] as good as the day it was made," Quinton said, summarizing engineers’ advice.

Why it matters: The clock tower is a widely recognized Ocean Beach landmark and community members told the council the restored tower would be symbolic and help draw visitors to the park. Committee members said reuse of the existing tower would be significantly less costly than building a wholly new structure.

Fundraising and plan: Quinton outlined a seven‑phase plan that includes moving the existing light tower to the boardwalk, repairing structural elements identified in the 1988 Torello study, restoring clock faces (possibly scaled from five feet to four feet in diameter), installing LED signage for beach programs if funding permits, and eventually adding a flagpole. The committee reported $5,168 raised at a recent fundraiser, another $5,000 in a lockbox and a separate $10,000 line item created by a councilor, leaving the group roughly $5,000 short of the immediate target to move the tower onto the boardwalk.

Council and public support: Former Council President Michael Tranquater, who said he worked summers at Ocean Beach beginning in 1976, urged the council to support the effort, telling members the tower’s return would help "make the beach whole again." Several other residents and past employees told the council they had contributed time and photographs to help the restoration committee document the tower’s history.

Next steps: The committee asked for continued cooperation from city staff around permitting, site preparation and possible city in‑kind support for moving and securing the tower. The committee said additional engineering work would be required to size the clock faces and design the upper structure to meet wind loads for sustained 40‑mph conditions.

Implementation notes: The committee proposed funding options including donations, corporate sponsorships, LED advertising, and continued small fundraisers. Quinton said his team had obtained a contractor’s estimate of $8,150 for work on a new foundation detail for the light tower base and would continue to refine engineering and costing.

Provenance: Committee remarks and fundraising totals were reported in public comment and during a council presentation on April 21.