Heritage Committee recommends demolition of water tower

City council will decide the fate of the former Ash Street water tower at its Jan. 26 council meeting.

The water tower, located at 332 Pine Street, was constructed in 1946 and was decommissioned and disconnected from the water supply system in 1998.

A report prepared by city staff stated several recommendations regarding the water tower. The first course of action would be to include the water tank in the City's register of heritage properties, and then proceed with demolition.

From there the report recommended the information about the water tower be submitted into the City of Greater Sudbury Archives for future reference and a plaque be put up at the site of the water tank. It is also recommended that the city “convert the site into a public park with a new public art element, which may incorporate parts of the existing elevated water tank.”

Back in 2008, City Council postponed the demolition of the tank “to provide the Municipal Heritage Committee with an opportunity to evaluate its cultural heritage value or interest of the structure.”

The Municipal Heritage Committee reviewed the heritage value of the site using criteria set in the Ontario Heritage Act. They concluded that the tower had “low to moderate cultural heritage value and recommends that the tank be listed in the City's register of heritage property.”

The report also recommended that city staff investigate and report back on the process, including opportunities for funding to build the park and erect a plaque.