The familiar Mount Pleasant, SC water tower in the Old Village section of town is a structure many residents fought to keep, but safety concerns worked against the cherished landmark, according to the Post and Courier.
Mount Pleasant Waterworks, which owns the water tower, decided not to attempt repairs when the projected bill came in at over $1 million. MPW also considered constructing a replica of the popular tower, but instead, proposed placing a 170-foot monopole at that location. Objections from the Neighborhood and Town Council nixed that plan. Proponents of the new tower said the city was making roughly $100,000 per year in renting the structure to wireless carriers.
Originally constructed in 1934, the water tank hasn’t actually held water since the 1990’s. In more recent years, the site has hosted numerous cell tower antennas but that usage has become untenable. Out of concern for their workers’ safety, cell tower companies no longer permit maintenance crews to climb the tower to service their equipment. With the tower no longer serving a practical purpose, the decision was eventually made to remove it before the 2021 hurricane season hits.
A temporary tower will keep residents connected for 120 days while a new site is selected. The current frontrunner for the water tower’s replacement is a nearby parking garage.
Iseler Demolition has been contracted to remove the old water tower and has said it will sell the metal for scrap. Disappointed by the turn of events, former mayor Cheryll Woods-Flowers who had spearheaded efforts to save the tower noted, “I think it’s a sad day when we can’t recognize the value of an 87-year-old icon in this town. I think we are losing a lot of character.” Residents in the South Carolina community could see the water tower disappear from the landscape as early as next week, reports the Post and Courier.
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