Gateway clock may chime for first time today
By Tom Callis, Peninsula Daily News
Print This |
Email This
Recent Headlines
To our readers . . . about the Aspire! Quartet’s Singing Valentine program -- 2/10/12 -01:53 PM
Floating luxury home hits the water, now moored at Point Hudson [**Video**] -- 2/10/12 -01:03 PM
Mountain goat population up about 40 percent in Olympic Mountains -- 2/10/12 -12:07 PM
417.9 million bites later . . . (does this video warrant that much attention?) -- 2/10/12 -12:02 PM
Josh Powell had ‘incestuous’ sex images, investigators say -- 2/10/12 -09:32 AM
Installation of the four clock faces, which are 48 inches across and cost about $40,000, began on Wednesday, and is expected to be completed today.
The clock chimes at the corner of Lincoln and Front street in downtown Port Angeles could be given a test run if they are operational by 1 p.m., said Roland Ordona, site superintendent for Primo Construction of Carlsborg, which is building the center.
The chimes will sound like real bells, and the clocks will be able to produce music, said Roger Hoskinds, a field service technician contracted to install the clocks by their manufacturer, Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
A representative of the Verdin Company will demonstrate how to program the clocks' chimes and music over its loudspeakers, Ordona said.
Palm pilot control
A Hewlett Packard iPAQ palm pilot will control the clocks and their sounds.
The palm pilot can be controlled through the Internet via e-mail, Hoskinds said.
"Hopefully no one will be playing any jokes," Ordona said, laughing.
Ordona said a musical library can be maintained on the palm pilot, and the chimes can be made to play different songs.
"It looks like a karaoke machine," he said.
Corey Delikat, city parks and streets superintendent, and Bob Petty, city parks crew member, will be shown how to operate the clocks, said Teresa Pierce, city spokeswoman.
Pierce said the day-to-day programming of the clocks probably will be managed through Delikat.
Hoskinds said the clocks are programmable 24 hours a day, and reset themselves at midnight to ensure accuracy.
This sort of program is fairly unique, said Hoskinds, who has installed one like this before.
"This seems to be the new trend," he said.
Pierce said she couldn't say if the clocks will tell time routinely before the Gateway project is completed, which is now expected to be in November.
________
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: August 27. 2008 9:00PM