The Zelienople town clock is back at its perch at the corner of Main and West New Castle streets after an extended hiatus. It retains its original look, but has been digitized and requires very little maintenance.

ZELIENOPLE — One of the borough's crown jewels will once again be heard chiming in the streets of downtown Zelie.

The Zelienople town clock has returned to its perch on the corner of Main and West New Castle streets after an extended hiatus, now fully restored with an updated interior bringing the vintage clock into the modern age.

“It's awfully nice to have it back,” said Don Pepe, borough manager. “It's completely restored (from the) inside out.”

The clock retains its original look and materials, but beneath the rustic exterior lies the mechanisms fit for this century's clocks.

“It went from a mechanical to an electric clock,” Pepe said. “There are over 300 sounds available. We went with the traditional Westminster chime.”

The digitized clock is easy to configure and requires very little maintenance, Pepe said, and the town is excited to have its timepiece back in place.

The clock was built sometime between 1901 and 1910 and has been in the borough since around 1922, according to Pepe.

It left the borough in the spring for repairs, eventually making its way to Verdin Bells & Clocks, a clock and bell repair and manufacturing company in Cincinnati.

“It's been around since 1922,” said Pepe, “and we hope it'll be around for another 100 years.”