The town of Lakeville on Thursday took down its water tower that had been standing since 1962.
There was no dramatic explosion. The steel tower stood too close to the town’s water plant to safely do that, so they took it down in sections. Joe Clady, Lakeville Utilities superintendent, says the new tower, put online about a month ago, holds 250,000 gallons, compared to the old tower’s 150,000 gallon bowl.
Clady says the $10 million tower will let the town of 900 residents grow. After the state of Indiana gave a $4 million grant and St. Joseph County contributed $1 million, the town issued bonds for the remaining $5 million. Those are being paid off with a rate increase on monthly utility bills, which also include trash, recycling and sewer, from $90 to $140.
“I think it was two years ago our tower sprung a leak so it was shut down and we had to do an emergency fix on it," Clady said. "Well there is no opportune time to raise anybody’s rates but with getting the grants and everything available, that was the opportune time to do this.”
