News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A historical consultant has recommended a new option for saving Algood’s water tower.
Carver Moore said the structure may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. He said the designation could supply the city with grant funding to help repair the aging tower.
“With the grant program, I always tell people it’s highly competitive, but a water tower is something that’s never been listed in the National Registry,” Moore said. “My thinking is that would vault you somewhere up to the top. Show need, and you could probably get $100,000 or $150,000 on the high end. The only thing about the National Registry is the process takes about a year to complete.”
Moore made his recommendation during a public meeting last week to discuss the tower’s future. City Council members need to decide whether to tear down or repair the 59-year-old structure.
Consulting Engineer Matthew Tucker said the tower faces structural issues that need to be addressed within three to five years.
“The primary concern is the bowl itself, that’s the part at the top that holds the water,” Tucker said. “That becomes a liability because as the tank deteriorates from the inside out, the metal gets thin. If you start losing structure in the bowl, eventually it wants to fall down on itself.”
“As far as the structural integrity of the tank itself, it’s in poor shape, but I would not put it in critical shape yet,” Tucker said. “It needs some attention of some kind, soon.”
Tucker said that repairing the tank would cost an estimated $263,000, while demolition would cost $55,000. City officials have agreed to place another suggestion box inside city hall after learning of the latest cost estimates.
A previous suggestion box received 29 repair suggestions and five for demolition.
