Familiar St. George landmark to be demolished
A 65-year-old water tower that dominates the St. George skyline is coming down.
Jason Gaudet, chief administrative officer for St. George, said the town is in the process of finding a contractor to tear down the distinctive red and white striped tower.
The 35-metre tall structure is one of the highest points in St. George.
"If you drive along the highway, you'll instantly notice it," said Gaudet. "It just peeks up over the trees. It's always present there."
Gaudet said some residents want the tower to remain standing, but that would require annual inspections and maintenance.
"It's past its prime," Gaudet said.
The town considered turning it into a lookout platform or apartment building, Gaudet said, but ultimately decided it wasn't feasible to leave the tower standing.
"We did look at all those other options and it just didn't really make any sense to do anything but bring it down."
A new water tower was installed in St. George in 2017. The $80,000 to $90,000 demolition price tag for the old tower was factored into the plan to build the new one.
Demolition will begin in late August or earlier September, Gaudet said.
Contractors will take the tower apart piece by piece, a process that will take nearly two months to complete, he said. Roads around the water tower, including Carleton Street and Main Street, may be closed or partially closed during the demolition.
Although the new water tower serves the majority of residents, two to three homes are still using the old one and may have their water shut off for a couple of days during demolition.
Gaudet said the town is looking to preserve the light and hatch at the top of the tower.
"We do get the sense that it has so much meaning to people, so we'd like to have a little bit of a reminder."
