Algood Water Tower Decision Expected Next Week

Algood City Council will decide the fate of the city’s water tower next week.

City Administrator Keith Morrison said council has the option to keep or tear down the 59-year-old structure.

“People have seen that water tank for a long time, and that’s the first thing you see when you go into town,” Morrison said. “Tearing it down is a hard decision to make, but the second part of that decision is does it make financial sense? The tank’s not in use. It’s just standing there and you’re painting something that’s never going to be in use, or have any benefit other than maybe as a billboard. It has pros and cons on both sides, so it’s going to be a tough decision for the council to make.”

The city held several public meetings this year for residents to provide input on the decision. A suggestion box placed outside city hall received 29 repair suggestions and five for demolition.

Repairing and repainting the tank will cost an estimated $263,000. Morrison said the city would spend about $55,000 to demolish the iconic structure.

“I think they’re (council) gonna have to weigh out the financial side of it and evaluate whether it makes that kind of sense to put that much money into something like that,” Morrison said.

Algood City Council will meet in a work session Monday to discuss the issue. The regular scheduled city council meeting takes place November 12 at 6 p.m.