The study may show the city would be better served to knock down the water tower that has been a part of the New Carlisle skyline since the late 1930s, Kitko said.
“I’ve talked to a couple of people who are interested in keeping it,” Kitko said. “Ultimately, in the end, I and the city manager will have the recommendation based on our study.”
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Kitko said it is possible that the tower is removed from the water system but stays standing. But that would require either renegotiating a contract between the city and Honey Creek Presbyterian Church who owns the property the tower is standing.
Right now, if the water tower is taken off the system, the city would be obligated to take down the tower at their own cost, Kitko said.
Private citizens could also work with the church to keep the tower standing, Kitko said. That would be between the private groups.
New Carlisle has two water towers serving the community, but likely only needs one, Councilmember Mike Lower said.
The Scarff Water Tower holds about 1.72 million gallons of water, according to Lowery, while the Adams tower holds 125,000 gallons.
Lowery posted on his Facebook news page asking for resident input about taking down the Adams tower.
“The Scarff Water Tower has a large enough capacity to provide for the entire city, without a doubt,” Lowery said. “If the Adams tower is taken offline and removed it will save the city money by not having to pay for maintenance and repair costs, which will be needed.”
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But, Lowery said while the city may not need the water tower anymore, it is still a symbol of pride in the community.
“One person may see it as a big steel object and could care less about it, but when you go through these older towns you see the water towers and I think they add a little character to the town,” Lowery told the Springfield News-Sun. “That tower has been part of our skyline for a long time and I would hate to see it come down.”
On the flip side, taking down the water tower might cost little to nothing, Lowery said. Companies who have offered their services said they can make their money off the steel metal they will collect from the tower. Official figures and costs are still to be determined, Lowery said.
Lowery said he is waiting for figures to find out how much it would cost to keep the water tower in place.
“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine it being that much,” he said. “If it’s not being used for drinking water I don’t see the need to go and clean the inside and repaint. You see old water towers all over the country and I don’t see why that can’t be one too.”
Facts and figures
1.72 million gallons: Scarff Water Tower capacity
125,000 gallons: Adams Water Tower capacity
1938: Year Adams Water Tower was built.
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