By Kim McDarison

The Whitewater Common Council voted unanimously in August in favor of placing a non-binding referendum question on the November ballot regarding the future of the decommissioned water tower in the city’s Starin Park.

The question will help city officials determine whether public support is behind repairing and maintaining the tower as a historical landmark or demolishing it, city officials have said. 

Both options come with costs.

Whitewater Director of Public Works Brad Marquardt in a memo to council dated Aug. 20, noted that a report about the condition of the tower, which was decommissioned in 2022, following the installation of a new water tower on the city’s southwest side, was completed in January of 2023, and presented to the council.

The report provided estimated costs to repair the structure of $1.6 million, with additional ongoing approximated maintenance costs of $250,000 expended every ten years.

In his memo, Marquardt wrote that the Public Service Commission had indicated to city staff that the Water Utility could pay for improvements up to the cost of demolition, which was estimated at $600,000.

Any additional costs, he noted, would need to be borne by taxpayers, through the city’s general fund, or through donations.

Marquardt wrote that in January of 2023, “the council suggested an advisory referendum question be posed to the citizens to gain their interest in maintaining the water tower or removing it.”

In order to achieve ballot placement in November, he wrote, the referendum question needed to be submitted to the county clerk’s office by Aug. 27.

In a recent news release, city staff presented the final wording of the question which voters will find on the November ballot.

The question reads: “The City of Whitewater Water Utility has decommissioned the Starin Park Water Tower, meaning it is no longer part of the water system. The Water Utility can spend up to $600,000 (the cost of demolition) to maintain it as a City-owned Historical Landmark. The remaining costs, approximately $1,000,000 for repairs and $250,000 every 10 years for maintenance would need to come from City tax dollars or donations. Should the City of Whitewater use tax dollars to repair and maintain the Starin Park Water Tower?”

Within the release, city officials noted that a non-binding referendum serves as an advisory mechanism, offering a “gauge” of public opinion.

The release noted that the vote would not carry legal force, but would provide a guide to members of the council as they make a decision about whether to preserve or demolish the decommissioned tower.

Some tower history

In January, 2023, members of the Whitewater Landmarks Commission identified the 1889-built tower as one of four landmarks in the city in need of attention and repair.

According to then-commission member Dan Richardson, the water tower was built on Prospect Hill, one of the highest points in the city. Its construction was sparked by a fire at the Whitewater Normal School a year before.

“The fire was put out and the damage was repaired rather quickly, but then the city fathers began to realize it was pretty necessary that they have a water system,” he said during the January, 2023, meeting, noting that there was neither a water nor sanitary sewer system in Whitewater at the time.

The city contracted with the Gray Construction Co. of Chicago, which built the water tower and owned it until 1912, when the city took over, he said.

He described the tower as standing 100 feet tall, with eight courses of locally quarried lime stone. The tower’s base, he said, is eight feet thick. When it was operational, the tower’s tank held some 185,000 gallons of water, weighing some 770 tons.

The commissioner said that in 2022, Cornerstone Restoration of Sullivan performed tuckpointing on the 80-foot stone portion of the tower, much of it in the interior.

Cornerstone reported structural problems with the water tower, prompting the city to hire McEnroe Consulting Engineers of Wauwatosa to undertake a structural study.

While the company found several things in need of repair, Richardson said, they also found that imminent collapse was not evident.

According to the study, items that were in need of repair included:

• The stone belt courses that encircle the tower need replacement.

• The entire masonry exterior needs to be cleaned.

• Mortar wash comes off of the top of the tower under the steel tank, as well as the base of the masonry wall.

• The top of the tower wall should be replaced completely.

• There are a number of places where stones need to be replaced, arches need to be fixed, exterior joints need to be tuckpointed and cracks need to be filled.

He said McEnroe recommended an eight-step process for repairs, divided into three phases, adding that the cost of the first phase was equivalent to the cost of tearing the structure down.

An earlier story published on WhitewaterWise’s sister site, Fort Atkinson Online, about the 2023 Landmarks Commission meeting is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-if-we-dont-stand-up-theyre-going-to-fall-down-landmarks-commissioner-says/.

In March of 2023, the Whitewater Common Council voted to send the report, outlining costs and conditions associated with the tower, to the city’s Finance Committee for further evaluation.

An earlier story about the decision is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-600000-to-1-5-million-needed-to-address-starin-water-tower-finance-committee-to-investigate-options/.

Information provided within the city’s recent release notes that water from the 30-foot steel tank atop the tower in Starin Park was removed in December of 2022.

The release further notes that the McEnroe report estimates repair costs for the tower between $950,000 and $1,100,000, with additional ongoing maintenance costs of $250,000 every 10 years.

Costs and a phased approach

McEnroe Consulting, along with its estimated cost to demolish the tower, offered costs associated with a three-phased approach for repairs, including an initial repair budget of $600,000, with future phases costing $420,000 and $320,000, respectively.

The total project cost by 2026 is projected to reach $1.6 million, which includes repairs, engineering, and project management, according to the release.

The release noted that a cost of $600,000 to demolish the structure would be borne by the city’s water utility.

Would the city choose to maintain the tower, the water utility’s funds could be used to offset the cost of repairs.   

The question on the ballot offers taxpayers an opportunity to weigh-in, regarding the choice to preserve the tower as a city-owned historical landmark or demolish it “due to its financial burden,” which, the release described as a “critical issue for the city.”