David Cote, facilities director at the Androscoggin County Courthouse in Auburn, puts finishing touches Tuesday on the 161-year-old bell atop the courthouse. The bell rang 12 times at noon for the first time since the early 1980s. “This has been my pet project since I started working here,” Cote said of having the bell fixed. “I started the process and then realized the project was out of my league.” Cote and a few courthouse employees stepped outside at noon to hear the bell. It will ring on the hour from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Androscoggin County Courthouse employees listen to the courthouse bell ring at noon Tuesday in Auburn. The bell rang 12 times for the first time since the early 1980s. It will ring on the hour from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

The clock atop the Androscoggin County Courthouse in Auburn was restored during the clock tower restoration project. David Cote, facilities director at the courthouse, installed a live video feed of the clock for people to watch on a monitor in the first-floor hallway. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

David Cote climbs multiple sets of narrow and steep stairs Tuesday to reach the 161-year-old bell atop the Androscoggin County Courthouse in Auburn. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)