the Northwest ‘ College water tower is gone. The Ready... By Tod Strachan. _A tug on the cable, a few creaks and cracks, and it came crashing down. The water tank on top of Community event didn’t seem to cause any- one any concem. The tower was slated for dismantling anyway, and there were no tears as the giant tank fell to it’s death... Just a few curiosity seekers and media people attending yet another sen- . _ Sational event. Still, it was the last of our water towers... A part of our recent past. -The only other water tower in town was located at Skeenaview Lodge and it fell to progress many years ago. Perhaps it deserved a better farewell than a simple, “There she goes...” Then, tense nerves waiting for the impending crash that was only a thud. Unfortunately, though, even if some present for the event may have wanted a little more fanfare, there wasn’t time for even a speech from the mayor. The 27 year old water tank fell to its Going... death at about 1 p.m. Friday, three full hours before sealed ten- ders were to be opened at the col- lege that would have revealed how.and at what cost the tower would be felled. Last spring, city council granted a request from. Northwest Community College and gave back the land on which the tower stood. The college wanted to build a parking lot there for a preschool in the vocational build- ing. The only. condition to the return of the land, was that the tower went with it and it.was up to the college to get rid of it. It was in 1964, when the B.C. Vocational School (now known as NWCC) was built, that the province gave the land to the city so the Public Works. Department could build the water tower. The system in that area was inade- quate at the time, and the water tower was required to provide the required level of fire protection. - For a little more than two decades, the tower stood ready to help douse a fire while the city slowly upgraded the water system . in the area. It was never required hatever you wear fe clean with care EDNESDAY IS SHIRT LAUNDRY DAY Men's or Ladies’ cotton or poly blend shirt Richards on Emerson THE DRYCLEANER & SHIRT LAUNDRY Swing in to our DRIVE THRU 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. — Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Saturday Tower Topples ! Going... for that purpose, however, and during that time, the tower really did nothing more than feed the. college’s sprinklers each summer. Eventually, the-city water sys- tem. was upgraded to a point where it was capable of providing | adequate fire-protection and the tower was reduced to the status of a backup system. It was only put back into service once after the demotion, and it grasped the opportunity to express dissatis- faction. Three summers ago, when the city was completing the last of the ongoing upgrade projects, the valve at the base of the tower was turned on. Once again, it was pro- viding much needed water for grass, shrubs and trees on the col- lege’s Terrace campus. But the tower seemed to know it was being taken advantage. of, and the flow ‘of water gradually slowed. The tower, it seems, had accumu- lated a more than adequate supply of bird feathers to completely Stop up the college’s irrigation. system. The tower was punished. It was taken out of service, never to be Terrace Review — Wednesday, July 31,1991 3 Going... used again and eventually destroyed. The tower, though, had the last laugh. A couple of months ago, the tank at the top of the tower was, . drained. And, a few weeks ago, the call for.tenders for its’ destruction was issued with an advertised closing date of July 19 at 4 p.m. That date didn’t offer some contractors adequate time to prepare a proposal, however, so the college extended the closing date to July 26. Sometime during the night of July 24-25 though, dry, shrunken vertical boards in the tank gave way to a southerly wind. At 8. a.m. on July 25, college staff noticed that even though the tower itself seemed sound the empty water tank was beginning to lean. By noon, ‘the health. of the tank had deteriorated considerably. The walls of the tank were lean- ing at a precarious angle, and eight or ten of the vertical boards had lost their grip on the tank’s roof and fallen in; smothering the tank’s store of feathers. Following a ground-view exami- ok “United Collection ‘Agencies inc. GONE! nation of the structure, it was declared a hazard and prepara- tions for its’ execution were set to begin at 8 a.m. the next day. . At the appointed time, Rain Coast Cranes went to work. By mid-morning, Rain Coast employees working from a couple _ of platforms suspended by two cranes, began looping a strong, cable noose around the top of the tank. With that job complete, the free end of the cable was attached to a front-end loader... The water tank’s end was near. Officials cautioned everyone to stand clear. The plan was for the tank to fall off the south side of the tower, but like the bird feath- ers, the tower may have planned an unwanted surprise. A depart- ing display of frustrated. defiance by an aging sentinel of the city. Rain Coast’s plan worked, how- ever. The tank fell and shattered on the very centre of the imagi- nary ‘X’, Still, it’s difficult to say who really won. The college called the shots. 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