No deal: City Council sticks with plan to take down water tower

 A plan to turn a soon-to-be abandoned water tower into a home was doused Monday night, as the Clear Lake City Council approved a professional services agreement to oversee its demolition.

 Aldin “Stick” Stecker had hoped to purchase the tower and site from the city and turn the 250,000 multi-leg tower into a personal residence. He estimated the project could put $750,000 on the city tax rolls.
 Councilman Jim Boehnke suggested the Council should table the issue to receive input about the idea, however other Council members did not agree. Gary Hugi, Tony Nelson and Mike Callanan voted for an agreement with Veenstra & Kimm, a Mason City engineering firm, to expedite the tower’s demise. Councilman Dana Brant was absent.
 The total cost of the agreement is not to exceed $16,200.
 Before the vote a half-dozen residents of the Four Winds area where the tower is located spoke against selling the tower to Stecker, saying it could lower their property values, create a public nuisance and possible safety hazard.
 “I appreciate the privacy of the (Four Winds) area and feel it would be compromised by the stationary Met Life blimp looking down on us,” said Jim Tjaden, a longtime resident of Four Winds. “It is not attractive and would detract from the image of the town.”
 William Korleski spoke in favor of the idea, telling the Council “don’t be afraid to be different.”
 Stecker was also at the meeting and said he wanted to be a good neighbor to those in Four Winds. He said after the meeting he would not be interested in purchasing the water tower and moving it to pursue his idea.
 The city’s new 1 million gallon water tower, located immediately east of the old tower along Highway 18, will be completed by November and brought online in December. -Read More Via e-Edition