Weather delays water tower demo

Demolition work on the city’s downtown water tower was delayed this week due to weather.

Isler Demolition, of Michigan, had planned to begin work dismantling the vintage 1949 water tower this week, however forecasts for snow, ice and high winds caused the company to revise its schedule.  

Isler leaders stressed the ice and winds would create a major safety issue for their crew, as well as the crew on the crane.

A new date for the work, estimated to take only a few days, has not been announced.

City officials decided to take down the vintage 1949, 500,000 gallon water tower located at the end of Main Avenue, rather than rehabilitate it.  Removal of the peeling lead-based paint and rehabilitation of the tank did not make economic sense.

The water tower has not contained any water for more than a year and is no longer needed in that location for the water distribution system.

The city plans to construct a new, 1 million gallon elevated water storage tower along US Highway 18 to complete the upgrade of its system.  Two remaining 250,000 gallon multi-legged steel elevated water towers, built in 1959, will also eventually be demolished.