Water tower to come down in April
Time is almost up for the water tower located on Cadillac Lane. Placed in 1959, it won’t stand to see its 50th birthday. The removal will be done as soon as possible after April 15 when the old Driver Testing Center building is moved.
After unsuccessfully trying to give the water tank away for scrap metal, McMinnville officials have agreed to pay a company $19,300 to take it down.
Several months ago, the city received the bid from Iseler Demolition Inc., a company out of Michigan that takes down water tanks. However, they still had hopes of getting the tank removed by someone willing to remove it at no cost to the city.
They offered it to the county for use on Harrison Ferry Mountain and to anyone who would take it down for the estimated 20,000 pounds of scrap metal. Neither offer was accepted.
Allen Pittle from Oklahoma expressed interested in taking the water tower for the metal. After traveling to McMinnville and taking pictures and drawings of the structure, he determined the cost would be more than would be earned once he hired enough people and paid for a crane.
After crunching the numbers, Pittle presented the city with a proposal to remove the tank for $15,000. Because his company isn’t accustomed to removing water tanks, he would have to work with his insurance company to meet requirements, which would take more time before removal.
Iseler Demolition can remove the tank in a couple of days once the old Driver Testing Center is gone. Because this company is a professional water tank removal company, there would be no wait because of insurance and the business has all the necessary equipment.
According to Water and Wastewater director Carl Davis, he expects the tower to be down within a few days after the center’s removal.
Iseler Demolition, in business since 1990, specializes in the dismantling of water towers, water tanks, and other steel structures. The company follows OSHA and EPA guidelines and carries workers compensation and up to $10 million in liability and property damage insurance.