Daylight savings time is this weekend

Changing the time on clocks might be easy for you, but not at George F. Baker High School,By Nancy Kriz TUXEDO - So, you think you’ll have a challenge changing the time on all the clocks in your house to mark this weekend’s return to daylight savings time? Once you learn what Doug Kolvenbach, Tuxedo School District superintendent of building and grounds, has to do to change the time on the clock in the tower above George F. Baker High School, you’ll never complain again. The clock tower, which dates back to 1931 when the school was built, is not easy to access. It takes awhile to reach it To reach it, Kolvenbach must first go to the second floor of the high school and enter a small custodial closet where he must scale a 12-foot-high steel ladder to reach the first attic level. After that, he must walk on a catwalk leading to a small door. That takes Kolvenbach to new level of the attic and yet another catwalk. Halfway along that catwalk, he must take care to not step on ventilation duct work. The end of that catwalk leads him to another six-foot wooden ladder. At the top, he has to step over steam pipes while taking care to not hit his head on steel girders. Kolvenbach’s not done yet Then, he has to climb up another four-foot steel ladder leading to opening to clock’s mechanism in the tower. That places Kolvenbach within the clock’s mechanical room, where he’s standing behind its three faces on the north, south and east directions. “I have to do that without doing any harm to anything,” he said. The clock is operated by an electrical controller in a small computer box to control the movement of the hands on each face. Assuming the hands are in alignment, the best way to change the time is simply stop the clock and let the time advance an hour, and then turn it back on again. “The system has many, many old parts,” said Kolvenbach. “For the benefit of the integrity of the clock, we look to change the time the easiest way possible.” Even if it’s not easy to get there Amazingly, Kolvenbach added, the clock keeps great time, and he’s able to keep the three faces pretty much synchronized. But he’s glad he doesn’t have to change the time that often. “I’m glad it’s infrequent,” he said. “But being a person who likes historical and old buildings, it is interesting to be up there.” Kolvenbach’s advice for everyone re-setting their clocks is quite simple: “Give yourself extra time to change the time.”