Clarks Summit council moves to serve notice to Decker on easement, greenlights talks to restore borough clock

Clarks Summit Borough Council on March 25 authorized its solicitor to serve notice to a private property owner to remove and restore a parcel and to terminate an easement dated 1986, and separately approved negotiating agreements that would allow private groups to refurbish and relocate the DeFazio clock tower to the borough's pocket park.

The move followed a public presentation by Mike Perry, who described a privately funded plan to remove, refurbish and reinstall the clock in the pocket park and said local businesses had volunteered services and would not seek borough funding. "I have a local business, so it's extremely heartwarming," Perry said, adding that volunteers would cover removal and refurbishment costs and that "there'll be no cost to the taxpayers."

Council members said the council could not transfer borough property or relinquish liability without written agreements and solicitor review. One council member moved to authorize the solicitor to serve notice on Mr. Decker to remove and restore the Decker property and to terminate the 1986 easement. That motion carried by voice with the chair announcing a 6'to'1 tally.

The council also voted to authorize the solicitor to negotiate with Perry and other interested parties to draft agreements that would address liability, long'term maintenance and the terms of possession or custodianship should the clock be removed and then reinstalled on borough property. Council members said any such agreement would return for formal council approval at a later meeting. "We would want to have an agreements in place that governs that and the liability associated," a council member said during the discussion.

Council members and staff emphasized next steps: obtain written proposals, have the solicitor draft and review agreements, get any required engineering input on the structure's safety, and place final terms on a future meeting agenda. Perry said he aimed for a timetable that would make the refurbished clock visible before a commemorative date in September; council members said timing would depend on the legal steps and any notice periods required by the Decker property action.

The council took no immediate action to transfer title or ownership; it limited action to authorizing legal notice to Decker and to negotiating possible restoration agreements with private parties. The solicitor will report back with drafts for council consideration at the next meeting.