That Orange Watertower You Pass Every Day Will Soon Be Missing From the Landscape

The orange watertower that is across from the high school began its life less than 50 miles from its current home. It was in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. But, it's future is not so bright. It is likely that the parts that make up the watertower will be recycled as scrap metal after it is dismantled in the fall.

The watertower needs to be painted, doesn't have a large enough capacity and is generally too expensive to keep. The expense to do maintainance is not worth it, village officials have decided. In addition, its location, though iconic, is not idea. The pad on which it sits is small and it is surrounded by farmland. Painting the tower, then, takes a lot more logistically than the other towers in town.

The village has had a number of watertowers in its time, with the first being built around 1906. It's photo can be seen on the Minooka Village Web site.