Nevada Daily Mail: Local News: Rick Warren -- clock repairman (12/29/09)

Steve Moyer/Daily Mail The repaired Vernon County Courthouse clock now shows the same time on all four faces.
[Click to enlarge]

Anyone familiar with the clock in the courthouse tower knows that you may see radically different times on different faces of the clock, or at least it used to be that way. Vernon County Southern Commissioner Kennon Shaw reports that a county employee, Rick Warren, has fixed the clock and it is now showing the same time, no matter from which direction you view it.

"He fixed it about a week ago," Shaw said. "He's really handy around here. I'm real pleased with him."

Shaw said one face of the clock needed extra work.

"We machined out a piece and fixed the west side too," Shaw said.

Warren said it was "no big deal" to fix it, they had the needed part, but it didn't fit without a little extra work.

"There are plastic knuckles on the rods," Warren said. "I went up there and looked at it and thought, "I can fix that," it was a pretty simple fix. They have a bunch of those knuckles but they just don't fit the rods and you have to drill them out."

Warren also worked on the Christmas lights so they use less electricity.

"He redid the timer that turns our Christmas lights on and off at the courthouse," Shaw said. "The timer turns them on at night and off during the day but it also turns them off during the middle of the night when everyone is asleep."

Warren said the timer didn't work exactly like he wanted it to, but it did work so he was happy.

"The timer, I messed with that a little bit," Warren said. "I had to buy a couple of trippers and it doesn't work exactly like I wanted but it works and that's what's important."

The Christmas lights were replaced last year with a different type which should last longer and not need replacement as often as the old style.

"We replaced the Christmas lights last year with LED style lights," Shaw said. "They should save us money on electricity and on replacement bulbs."

Shaw said the county benefited from Warrens work and his initiative was appreciated.

"He figures that stuff out real well," Shaw said. "We appreciate it when someone goes above and beyond in their work."

Warren has worked on different things around the courthouse, from a door to desks, and said if he can fix something, he would.

"If I can fix it I'll do it, and if I can't I'll call someone who knows how and let them," Warren said.