Cambridge’s historic town clock is set to chime again with work on the clock mechanism and the tower to begin in January.
Livingstone Building New Zealand Limited has been given the contract, but the tender process has seen costs balloon compared with estimates earlier this year.
About $250,000 was budgeted in Waipā District Council’s 2023-24 financial year however the failure of the clock and the poor external condition of the tower meant a more comprehensive fix was needed to extend the life of the Category Two Historic Structure.
The works were estimated for $450,000 in August, with the cost now sitting at $721,000.
The additional costs would be funded through borrowing, with no impact on rates in the current finanical year.
Council’s property services manager David Varcoe, said the “rapidly declining state of the tower” meant restoration work needed to be done to preserve the iconic “tower of Cambridge” as soon as possible.
“The jump in costs reflects the unpredictable market for materials, the deteriorating condition of the tower and the challenging worksite the clock sits on.
He said all three tenders were about the same price with some materials that needed to be imported from Italy.
“The rate that material costs are increasing won’t stop any time soon, we can’t stop time to make it more affordable.
“This is a specialist project. We need to look after the heritage structure and ensure the historical clock continues to tick for years to come.”
The work would include specialist contractors to remove, automate, and reinstall the clock mechanism, securing specialist plastering materials from overseas, plastering, steel work, concrete, and electrical repairs.
It would be more efficient to complete the project in one go, rather than stages, to avoid repeat site-establishment costs.
“We can’t continue to put plasters on its open wounds. If we don’t invest now with waterproofing, clock mechanism and tower repairs, it’s only going to cost us more in the long run.
“We really don’t want to get to a point where time stops for this community asset,” Varcoe said.
The project would kick off this side of Christmas with start-up procedures and restoration work and servicing of the clock mechanism to begin in the new year.
Once fixed the clock will require only six-monthly cleaning and full servicing every 10-15 years, saving about $24,000 a year in operation and maintenance costs.
The project was set to be completed by June 30, 2024 and once completed, the Westminster chimes sequence – the same as that used by Big Ben in London – will be back.
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