Water tower used by former Ontario GM is taken down

ONTARIO ― The water tower along Lexington-Springmill Road near Golden Corral restaurant came down Tuesday around 6 a.m. as onlookers watched from the Burger King parking lot and the former Sears parking lot at the Richland Mall.

The tower made crying and moaning sounds when the time came for it to come down. It fell closer to Lexington-Springmill Road than expected.

Dave Remy, public works director for the city of Mansfield, watched with spectators from the Richland Mall parking lot.

The tower was set to come down at 4:30 a.m. but crews worked until before 6 p.m. to cut the welds on the tower's legs. At one point it began to lean toward the busy thoroughfare that Ontario police had shut down for the event.

It fell fairly quietly and there was no dust cloud, a piece of history gone, erected in 1956 to serve the former General Motors.

The Mansfield City Council recently entered into a contract with Baumann Enterprises to take down the Shaker Water Tower near Ohio 309 and Lexington-Springmill Road at a cost of $73,777

The process required draining the tower, disconnecting it from the system, cutting notches in the back of each leg, closing Ohio 309 and Lexington-Springmill Road and pulling the tower over with a cable using an excavator.

In addition, approximately 150 tons of steel will have to be removed and the ground restored.

"It was built in 1956 to serve General Motors," Mansfield City Engineer Bob Bianchi said earlier. "Of course, GM is no longer there. The tower is in need of significant repair."

The Environmental Protection Agency gave notice to repair the tower or remove it. The tower and land are owned by the city of Mansfield. Bianchi said earlier the city of Ontario does not want the tower.

Linda Rachel of Mount Gilead came to the old Sears parking lot at 4 a.m. to make a video of the tower falling for her boss.

She works at Bake My Day on Stumbo Road and was given the opportunity to make the video on her cell phone before coming to work.

The dark sky turned blue by the time the tower fell to the ground, hitting an electric wire from the sparks as it tumbled.

The project should be completed in two weeks, Remy said.

The area was quiet until roads around the tower were temporarily shut down for the event. Motorists cut through the mall parking lot, some asking for directions, as they headed to work or to make deliveries to nearby businsesses.

Once toppled, the tower looked like a giant octopus with its legs mangled, or something from a Hollywood sci-fi movie, a spectator said from the mall parking lot.

A few drones could be seen in the early morning sky in the area.

But the tower was taken down quickly and without incident as people headed back home to get ready for work.

[email protected]

419-521-5223

Twitter: @LWhitmir