SAVE water towers?
Historical Society eyes twin tanks
By STU MERRY
Could Garrison’s trademark twin water towers be historical enough to be preserved? The city council learned Monday night that the state Historical Society would like to take a closer look at the two storage tanks before any work is done on a new above ground water storage facility.
Randy Wall with Moore Engineering, Minot, updated the council on the Rural Development application and the environmental review process for a new water tower.
He said the application must go through an environmental clearance before proceeding. As part of the process, the state Historical Society is requesting a study on the historical significance of the city’s water towers. It is uncertain, once the new tower is erected, if the current "Hot" and "Cold" water towers will stay, or be removed. The age of the towers is of concern. The "Hot" tower dates back nearly 100 years – 1916, while the "Cold" tower was built in 1948.
Wall presented a letter from Merlan Paaverud, Jr., state historic preservation officer. Paaverud recommended a cultural resource survey be completed by a permitted architectural historian. The survey would be for the portion of the project involving replacement of the two existing water towers. Paaverud also had another request.
