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Historic clock tower in Biddeford will get a facelift thanks to public support

A landmark in Biddeford will get a much needed facelift thanks to the support of people in Maine and away.

BIDDEFORD (NEWS CENTER Maine) — A landmark in Biddeford will get a much-needed facelift thanks to the support of people in Maine and away.

The Clock Tower on City Hall in Biddeford, has been neglected for decades and is rapidly deteriorating. But thanks to a 150 thousand dollar preservation grant some of the restoration can begin.

The money will bring the clock back to working order and rebuild the four faces of decorative work outside the clock room.

RELATED | 'Save the clock tower' to preserve the 123-year-old Biddeford landmark

The national grant, presented by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was awarded based on public voting. Biddeford was one of only 20 communities in the country chosen to participate in the contest.

Delilah Poupore is the executive director of the Heart of Biddeford, a downtown revitalization organization at the heart of the grant campaign.

Poupore, along with city officials, know it's the people of Biddeford and beyond they need to thank.

The national grant was awarded based on public voting.

Biddeford came in third place.

Poupore says "it says people from here are proud of this place and want an opportunity to show pride and there were a lot of people around the state and country who said we want to give this place a chance."

Mayor Alan Casavant says Biddeford's Clock Tower received 85,000 votes, finishing ahead of projects in big cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. "People feel tremendous pride when they have an iconic building and when they see things happening it bubbles upward", Casavant says.

The clock tower, which was built in 1894, will need a lot more restoration work to bring it back to it's former glory.

City officials hope to fund those renovations with a mix of donations, additional grants and tax dollars. But in the meantime, they're grateful for the $150,000 grant to fix the clock.

Poupore says "we'll be seeing scaffolding going up and getting the clock working again. I can't wait to see the clock telling time again."

Just like it did for the many generations before.

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