Clayton Clock: What Time Is It?

On March 2, we spoke to and what it meant. I'm sure most of us remembered to set out clocks forward an hour that Saturday night.

Over the past several weeks however, you may have noticed that the Clayton Clock wan't set forward an hour. I figured with all the rain and landscaping projects lately, public works employees were too busy and didn't have the time to take care of it.

On the eve of the third week, I became curious and stopped by to capture an image of the tardy timepiece.

The next morning, the clock miraculously had the correct time. Dismissing the idea that my camera had some sort of magical influence on the clock, it later dawned on me it was exactly three weeks since the time change.

Then, I remembered.

In 2007, daylight saving time was extended one month and now begins three weeks earlier.

It occurred to me that our temporal sentinel, the Clayton Clock, was missing a beat because it desperately needed a software upgrade.

“Yes it’s the software,” said Laura Hoffmeister, assistant to the city manager. “You and Pete Lawrence are probably the only ones who noticed it,” she joked.

When the clock was purchased years ago, daylight saving time began the first weekend in March and the software was written according to that standard.

“The city does not have the thousands of dollars necessary to upgrade the software at this time,” said Hoffmeister.

Since Congress extended daylight saving time, the clock always will be one hour behind for three weeks after daylight saving time begins. Conversely, it will be one hour ahead for one week in the fall when daylight saving time ends.

Did anybody else notice the Clayton clock was not set forward one hour?