Anyone who’s noticed the giant cranes at the A.O. Smith plant here will quickly discover a piece of the town’s history being disassembled.
The company’s water tower once dominated the skyline of northwest Fergus, but commercial, industrial and residential development has obscured the view of the landmark from many areas of the community.
In an interview with the Wellington Advertiser on Dec. 9, A.O. Smith’s Canadian operations manager Robert Henderson confirmed the 86-year-old “GSW” water tower is coming down.
“Essentially that tower was put up in 1930. That type of tower … was never designed to last as long as it has. It’s outlived its useful life,” said Henderson.
He added the tower also requires repairs that “just don’t make sense” and within the past month A.O. Smith was connected to municipal water services.
“We’re on town water now, so the tower isn’t serving any purpose,” Henderson said.
He noted the company had operated on its own well until a month ago, but, “We had to move to town water because we were bringing the tower down.”
While the well will be decommissioned, Henderson said it will continue to be used for monitoring.
Henderson anticipated demolition would occur over the next two to three weeks.
Those doing the work are a specialized crew from Cornwall, which Henderson believes is the same company that took down the old Fergus water tower.
He said the structure is being taken down in smaller pieces.
“They looked like big chunks of pie,” he said referring to pieces of the top section.
Henderson clarified the duration of the demolition depends on the weather, since it cannot be done when winds are above a certain speed.
He said he anticipated questions from the community as soon as the large cranes were in position next to the tower.
“I actually sent letters to the nearby residents to let them know what was happening,” he said.
As to thoughts on a change to the skyline and the removal of a local landmark, Henderson said, “The only place you can see that tower now coming into town now is from the west.
“Ten years ago, you could see it from every direction.”
Henderson added, “It’s pretty straight forward … [the tower is] old and decrepit … and from a safety perspective, it has to come down.”
For more on the history of the water tower, click here.
