Clarks Summit council weighs options for removed clock tower while moving DeFazio memorial plaque to pocket park

Clarks Summit Borough Council on April 29 heard several public comments urging alternatives to scrapping a longtime clock tower and discussed where to place a memorial plaque honoring a local 9/11 victim.

At the start of public comment, a resident argued the clock tower could serve as a pedestal for a large memorial plaque and said she had polled residents and visited 32 local businesses to gauge support. "That poll had an 88 approval rating from the people of our community," the resident said, while acknowledging the borough’s liability concerns if ownership were transferred for repair and display.

The council heard that the DeFazio family has been consulted about the plaque. Mayor Harry Kelly said the borough had met with the family and the family "are in favor of having the memorial placed" in the pocket park; the Rotary offered a bench donation and landscaping support was discussed.

Artists and park volunteers urged caution about scale. Katie, program coordinator at the Gathering Place, said the park is small and heavily used for classes and gatherings and suggested creative reuse: "You could deconstruct the clock and make it into more of a structure that could represent the Twin Towers," she said, adding artists could rework metal elements into seating or sculptural pieces so the memorial and the park’s usability both remain intact. Another resident noted the clock tower would take up much of the grass and limit programming.

Borough solicitor advised council the two issues are legally distinct. "The memorial is moving forward, and the plaque is being moved into the pocket park," the solicitor said, adding: "The removal of the clock tower was voted on. What needs to be voted on next is what to do with the clock tower in the interim should council vote to rehabilitate or in some way fashion that into an art piece, and what to do with the memorial plaque prior to putting that into the park." The solicitor emphasized that transferring the tower to a private owner would require addressing structural integrity and liability through waivers before any formal assignment.

Council members said they will continue to consult the DeFazio family about the plaque’s placement and will prepare options for the clock tower’s disposition at an upcoming meeting. No new transfer or disposal vote was recorded at the April 29 session; council members said more information on liability, design alternatives and family preferences will be gathered before any formal action.

The council also discussed donors and logistics related to local memorial projects: a separate veterans Liberty Bell for Veterans Park has funds from a $1,000 grant and a $4,000 VFW donation and is planned for unveiling the Saturday before Memorial Day.