Weatherly Council will allow a residents’ group to raise money to repair the clock that sits atop the Mrs. C.M. Schwab School, but they don’t want local taxpayers to foot the bill.

This week council voted 7-0 to allow the tower to be fixed, if the money is raised privately.

Members made it clear that they don’t intend to use borough funds for the project, just like when they agreed to take ownership of the building.

“This whole thing was not supposed to include any taxpayers’ money. The first thing we’re going to do, we’re using taxpayers’ money. If the committee raises the money, fine,” Councilman Norman Richie said.

The borough acquired the school about a year ago after the C.M. Schwab School Restoration Project raised $50,000 to purchase the building. Weatherly residents past and present all contributed to the cause.

On Tuesday, Mayor and Council President Tom Connors said he received a quote to fix the dials of the clock on the school. The proposal, from Bradford Clocks in Weatherly, ranged between $1,000 — with someone winding the clock each week — and $4,000. For another $3,000, the borough can get the bells working again.

“I know the group raising the money for that building always had an interest in seeing that clock going again,” Connors said.

Borough Manager Harold J. Pudliner Jr. said that council could easily find funds to cover the cost.

Councilman Harold Farrow pointed out that Weatherly doesn’t have a “town clock” like other boroughs, and restoring the tower clock could build community pride.

However borough council members recalled the vote they took about 18 months ago to allow the Restoration Project to raise the money to buy the school. All but Connors said they didn’t want to see borough funds used.

“The night (we voted), that was pretty much the agreement, like it or not, that we weren’t going to do a whole lot of this out of taxpayer money. I want to see it done, but I don’t want to use taxpayer money,” council member Joseph Cyburt said.

The Restoration Project board was holding its own meeting Tuesday, so no members were in attendance. But Connors pointed out that they are fully focused on raising the money to repair the roof of the school. Helping with the clock, he said, would allow them to devote as much as possible to the roof.

“No taxpayer money was used to purchase that building, but you’d be pretty foolish if you thought the borough doesn’t have a responsibility to that building,” Connors said.

In other business

Council also:

• Approved use of Eurana Park for a polar plunge on Jan. 1, as well as the second annual Carbon County Cabbage Festival, to be held Oct. 13, 2018.

• Opened three bids, ranging between $48,000 and about $137,000, for a feasibility study for a trail connecting the borough and the D&L Trail at Penn Haven. Borough officials will review the bids before awarding the contract. The borough has $50,000 in grant money from the state for the project.

• Announced $3,448 had been raised from clothing donations at Eurana Park this year, with more to come. The money goes toward the park.