MANSFIELD — The General Motors factory in Ontario closed more than a decade ago.
And now, the water tower that helped to supply water to the former massive facility will soon be toppled.
Mansfield City Council on Tuesday evening approved a $73,700 contract with Baumann Enterprises from Garfield Heights, Ohio, to bring down the 170-foot Shaker Water Tower near the intersection of Lexington-Springmill Road and Ohio 309.
The City of Mansfield built the 500,000-gallon water tower in 1956 to supply water to GM, which opened the first of its several buildings in 1955 and called Ontario home until 2010.
Bob Bianchi, the city’s engineer, said Mansfield agreed to build the tower to meet GM’s water needs 66 years when Ontario, then a village, could not do so. The city billed General Motors directly for the water, Bianchi said.
Bianchi told council that the tower is no longer needed and is in need of significant repair.
“The EPA basically has told us (to) fix it or remove it,” he said. “We have contacted Ontario to see if perhaps they would want the tower as an asset for their system.
“They deliberated through council and through the administration and said that they have decided they do not want the tower. So we’re here today to talk about the demolition of this tower that’s been discussed for quite some time,” he said.
He said the project was competitively bid and that Baumann Enterprises submitted the lowest, best offer. He said the company will be able to sell about 150 tons of steel from the tower, reducing the demolition price.
He said the company has a tentative start date of May 22, prep work that will include cutting notches in the south legs of the eight-legged tower. The tank will be drained and disconnected from the water system.
When the tower is prepped, Bianchi said, the company will use a cable attached to the top of the tower and pull it over with an excavator. The procedure will be done around 4:30 a.m. when traffic is light.
He said nearby roads, including the intersection of Lexington-Springmill and Ohio 309, will be closed for about 15 minutes while the tower is actually being toppled.
“Thankfully, we’ve got a large field there that’s available to be used for the tipping. You see the tipping axis there and the tank will be 55 feet from the roadway,” Bianchi said.
Once it’s down, roads will reopen and about two weeks of work will follow to remove the structure.
“The ground will then be restored and put back to its original condition,” Bianchi said.
He said the contractor has done these types of projects in the past.
“They don’t anticipate any issues with underground utilities or buildings. Essentially, that energy will be transferred through the tank. So that tank at the top will collapse in on itself.
“It’s not going to be like it’s bouncing off the ground and just create this massive force,” the engineer said.
The tower sits on 0.42 acres of land owned by the City of Mansfield. Bianchi said the site is no longer needed for the city water system and could be sold to the City of Ontario or a private developer in the future.
Also on Tuesday, City Council:
— approved a payment of $120 to Jennifer Atwell of 222 Buckeye Ave. for damages when city workers turned off her gas line rather than a water line on Jan. 14. Council’s claims committee approved the payment during April.
— approved the renewal of a one-year software maintenance with Tyler Technologies Corp. from Texas. The cost will not exceed $77,749.
— approved the allocation of another $9,500 from the water fund to Davis & Newcome Elevator Co. from Arcadia, Ohio, for emergency repairs to the service elevator at the city’s water treatment plant. Council had previously approved spending $79,700 and the work is exceeding that cost.
— approved spending $50,000 from the city’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act funds for a gate security system at Mansfield Lahm Region Airport.
City Council met one day later than usual due to the primary election on Tuesday.
