“The old girl doesn’t owe us anything”
A consensus emerged around the committee table Monday that Smiths Falls’ 102-year-old water tower has reached the end of its life.
During a special committee of the whole meeting on June 29, councillors debated whether to spend between $5,000 and $15,000 on a screening-level engineering feasibility review or move toward demolishing the decommissioned landmark.
Most councillors questioned the value of spending additional money on a study they believed would confirm the water tower cannot be saved.
The recommendation before committee called for staff to issue a request for proposals for a limited structural feasibility review to determine whether there is any realistic path to safely retaining the tower before council considered either a more detailed structural assessment or demolition.
Director of Public Works and Utilities Paul McMunn stressed the recommendation was not about preserving the tower.
“The key message to take away from my report is this recommendation is not committing the town to retaining the tower or to a costly detailed assessment,” McMunn said. “It simply gives council the information you need to take an informed decision on whether this structure has a viable future as a landmark.”
He said the initial review would provide a simple “go/no-go” recommendation by determining whether a professional engineer could reasonably certify the structure. If the answer was no, council could proceed with demolition without investing in more extensive engineering work.
Coun. Jay Brennan said he believed the outcome was already evident.
“I can bet the farm when we do it, we’re going to get the confirmation that you cannot keep that water tower without spending significant amounts of money on it,” Brennan said. “I’m prepared to let it go now. If my colleagues feel it’s worth $5,000 to $15,000 to find out, I’m fine with that as well, but I’d bet the farm that tower’s coming down.”
Coun. Steve Robinson agreed, saying he saw no reason to hire a consultant to confirm what council already suspected.
“I don’t think we should proceed with hiring the consultant to give us an answer that we already know,” Robinson said. “It’s just going to confirm simply what we already suspect.”
Robinson added the town already has a new landmark in Centennial Park.
“We have a beautiful new water tower over there on Air Care Drive), and we have a gorgeous bridge.”
Coun. Peter McKenna shared a similar view.
“The old girl doesn’t owe us anything,” McKenna said. “It’s time to pull the plug and let her go. She’s served us for 102 years.”
Coun. Jennifer Miller supported the staff recommendation, saying she would like a second engineering opinion before making a final decision. While acknowledging the tower is unlikely to remain standing for another 20 years, Miller suggested it could potentially remain in place until redevelopment plans for the park move ahead.
Committee chair Chris McGuire also urged council to proceed with the engineering review, arguing the proposed cost was modest compared with the estimated cost of demolition and the tower’s significance within the heritage conservation district.
“We’re looking at a $400,000 price tag to bring it down,” McGuire said. “It’s not a big investment for a 102-year-old structure that’s a contributing property in our heritage conservation district.”
McGuire challenged suggestions that the outcome was already known.
“There’s no expertise unless we hire somebody that can say whether it can be kept or not,” he said.
As discussion came to a close, McGuire expressed disappointment with the direction of the debate.
“I think it’s really unfortunate that this council will go down in history as being responsible for destroying three central structures in that park,” he said. “That’s not a legacy I’ll be proud of.”
The steel water tower, built about 102 years ago, was decommissioned after the town’s new elevated water storage facility came into service.
Previous inspections identified advanced coating deterioration and corrosion, metal loss at riveted connections and ongoing structural degradation.
Staff also noted the structure has exceeded the typical 80- to 100-year lifespan for similar infrastructure.
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400 thousand now or double that plus later ,prices never come down with time they go up. This structure will come down ,either on its own weight and rust or by demolition. It served its purpose and more ,RIP old lady .
RIP old lady ,you have served us well .