Big Ben in North Branford?

While it may not be quite the proportions of the behemoth, world renowned timepiece in London, the Totoket Historical Society is determined to have a similarly impressive clock erected right here in town. 

Bob Gregan petitioned for the Town Council's support at the Oct. 18 meeting. 

"It's something to bring our towns together at Rt. 22 and Rt. 80," said Gregan as he presented the council with visuals for the clock, which would be a tall, multi-faced structure atop a pedestal in front of Town Hall. 

"It could take a year [to raise the money], five, ten, twenty...even just a few dollars for a brick would help," said Gregan. "It's something to bring this town together by people who say 'I want a clock.'"

The company in mind for the job is the Vardin Company, an Ohio-based clock company with a local office in Madison.

"The scale that's needed there is something that needs to be big," said Gregan, who projects the cost of the tower clock to be in the $100,000 range. "It can't be something that can be lost. I want this to be a community effort where everyone in town gets involved in this–not just to donate money, but maybe even construction or what have you. It could be a big community effort that can be done over a period of years. It's something asolutely wonderful for the town of North Branford and something to strive for."

The motivation behind the project is a desire to establish an architectural identity in North Branford, says Gregan.

"We have no real architectural element in town. What I'm looking for is something to give to the community. I want to build a town together," he said. "We badly need something to identify and enhance that Town Hall. It's really something very, very special. And what better place than at Town Hall, the center of our town where Northford and North Branford meet?" 

There is another, more modest clock proposal in the works as well. The Totoket Historical Society is currently raising funds for a clock memorial to honor the late North Branford town historian and Bob Gregan's wife, Janet Gregan. 

The memorial clock would be a two-faced clock, standing at 10 feet and located between the Historical Society and the . The society has raised $8,400 thus far with an estimated $12,000 needed to erect the structure. 

The council was not being asked to provide any funds for the clock. Rather, the project's budget is dependent upon the generosity of North Branford citizens. Donations will be the primary source of funding for both the memorial clock by the library as well as the town clock tower by Town Hall. Any extra funding needed will be taken fom the society's cash reserve. 

Not everyone was receptive of the memorial clock's intended location, though. Library Board Treasurer Suzanne Kolakowski was in attendance at the meeting where she addressed the council; not as a representative of the library, but rather as a concerned citizen. 

"I don't think we should set a precedent, we've already got memorials spotting up the lawns in North Branford," said Kolakowski. "And there's another clock two blocks down the street so I think that it's a little redundant. This is not a library thing, it's a personal thing."

Vardin Company representative Jeff Lewis assured the council that the clock would be virtually maintenance-free aside from yearly oiling of cogs and the occassional replacement of backlight bulbs. The clock face will also be protected by shatter-resistant glass. 

The town clock project is still in its infancy as the Historical Society is still working to raise funds to complete the Janet Gregan Memorial Clock.

"I'm not a fundraiser," said Gregan, "I'm willing to work with anyone who wlll give it a shot. If we don't establish some means of fundraising than this project is pretty much a lost cause." 

Donations could be made directly to the Totoket Historical Society. For additional information, the society can be reached at (203) 488-0423.