Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Rotary, family and borough weigh options for Clarks Summit clock tower and DeFazio plaque
Loading...
Summary
Speakers at the Feb. 25 Clarks Summit Borough Council meeting debated whether the community clock should be repaired, replaced or relocated and how to preserve a memorial plaque for Laura Lee DeFazio; residents proposed easement payments and fundraising options while council said negotiations and legal review will continue.
Chris Loftus, president of the Rotary Club, told the borough council the Rotary helped raise money to install the downtown clock in 1985 and that Rotary members do not intend to destroy the memorial plaque for Laura Lee DeFazio. “We simply want to remove it from the clock tower, preserve it until there's a new place,” Loftus said.
Michael Perry, a lifelong Clarks Summit resident speaking for the DeFazio family, urged the council to keep the plaque in a prominent town location and outlined contingency locations and compensation ideas. Perry proposed either a $15,000 payment to the property owner for an easement or a $50,000 payment structured so the owner could return $35,000 as a charitable gift to the borough, saying those approaches could secure permanent placement for the memorial while preserving the town feature.
Council members and the solicitor discussed the legal status of the land under the clock. A councilor noted a recorded license in the deed records that creates a revocable permission to use the property and allows the landowner to revoke the license with 90 days' written notice. Council cautioned that the borough's rights depend on that licensing arrangement rather than an outright donation of the land.
Loftus said the clock structure itself is likely beyond reasonable repair and cited estimates near $20,000 for restoration work that also would require metal-structure repairs; Rotary volunteers said they would fundraise for a new clock or relocation rather than undertake the full repair.
Council indicated it had previously authorized the solicitor to seek discussions with the property owner about compensation for an easement and encouraged a direct proposal. No formal vote or decision on removal, repair or payment occurred; council members said they would continue talks with the DeFazio family, the property owner and the solicitor to develop a concrete proposal.
What happens next: council asked staff and the solicitor to continue negotiations with the property owner, engage with the DeFazio family about a permanent plaque location, and return to council with a proposal at a future meeting.
