Council OKs land purchase for water tower

The Clear Lake City Council voted Monday to purchase a one-acre piece of property for the purpose of constructing a new one million gallon elevated water tower on the site.

The city negotiated a purchase price of $75,000 for the parcel on the city’s northwest side.  The land is located 

west of K&H on Highway 18, about 300-feet from the current water tower in the Four Winds addition. The property is being purchased from Michael and Stacia Sonderman, of Clear Lake.

A public hearing was not required by state law, but Council members said they wanted to hold a public hearing about the purchase of the property to be consistent with other times the city has purchased land.  The site was one of seven locations studied for the new tower by the engineering firm Veenstra & Kimm, of Mason City.

The city plans to eventually abandon its downtown water tower, which is in need of repainting.  Since the construction of a new water tower in the city’s Industrial Park area and the plan to replace the aging tower in the Four Winds area in the northwest portion of the city with a new, larger tower, the downtown tower is no longer needed.

Related to the water tower changes, the Council has scheduled a public hearing to discuss altering the lease agreement between the city and CL Tel on the relocation of their wireless communications equipment currently on the water tower in the downtown area.  Earlier this year the Council  reviewed a proposal to - Read More Via e-Edition