T-L Photo/J.D. LONG A major renovation of Bellaire High School’s clock tower is officially over. The finished product was unveiled as scaffolding finally came down at the end of last week.

BELLAIRE — The much-acclaimed clock tower that sits atop Bellaire High School can finally be seen again.

Superintendent Derrick McAfee said the scaffolding was finally taken down late last week after weather delays kept workers from risking the icy conditions on the roof.

“We’re proud of it and proud the town has it back,” he said on a rainy Tuesday from the offices of the board of education.

Minor work had been done on the structure over the years, but he speculated that it had been close to 30 years since any major improvements had been made to the clock.

McAfee said along with the actual clock being fixed, the facade was “re-sheared,” in keeping with its original state and the same as the red tower.

JD&E Project Manager Don Teichman said the entire clock tower has been rebuilt. This includes that outer facade that JD&E finished in a fiberglass reinforced plastic.Teichman called it “maintenance free,” noting very little, if any, maintenance would be needed.

“It will be there long past our lifetimes,” Teichman said.

The work consisted of approximately 150 man hours with the Inside of the tower being fitted with a pressure treated wood for further stabilization. And the actual clock hands are an exact replica of the originals, which were cedar wood, and coated with an epoxy paint. He said workers tried other materials including aluminum, but the cedar was actually lighter in weight.