ThisWeek CW 08/06/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/08/03/tin-man-due-for-retirement.html

After years of discussions and requests from neighbors that it be removed, Groveport’s aged “Tin Man” water tower near Front and Blacklick streets will come down.

At the July 13 meeting of City Council, Administrator Marsha Hall said the updates to the city’s water systems have progressed far enough that the Tin Man finally can be decommissioned and removed.

“If you remember, we had residents come in very upset because of their properties being within the fall zone of the Tin Man water tank a couple years ago, and so it was always our intent that instead of trying to rehab it, we wanted to take it out of service,” Hall said.

In 2013, resident Jacqueline Papai tearfully addressed council about how her home sale at 131 Front St. had failed to finalize after the buyer’s inspector took issue with the house being in the “fall-zone” of such an aged structure.

The water tower, which dates back to the 1930s, is considered structurally sound due to annual tank maintenance programs, but is no longer an efficient component of the Groveport water system.

Hall said the tower will be emptied in the coming months as the rehabilitation on the city’s newer water tower wraps up.

The emergency water service connection with the city of Columbus, completed last year, was the other necessary component of the system to allow for the retirement of the Tin Man.

“We’re able to do this now because of the new tank rehabilitation finishing up and the emergency connection with city of Columbus. But we can’t take it down until we can empty it,” Hall said. “It will come down this fall.”

Isler Demolition Inc., a Michigan-based company, will complete the demolition and scrapping of the steel structure.

“They are going to take it down for $12,000, and they’ll haul it away, but we won’t really have to pay anything due to the scrap metal value we’ll get in return,” Hall said.