Written by Debra Fitzgerald, The Pulse of the Peninsula-November 17, 2021

On Tuesday night, the Mountain Park Watchtower on Washington Island was near maintenance.

Voters in the town—islanders over 18—gathered in a special meeting, voted by 61 votes to 24, and purchased an acre of land attached to the tower for $15,000. With 60 votes to 25 votes, voters also authorized a loan of US$273,100 to repair the closed tower, estimated at US$100,000, with the remainder used to repair the 5-mile road. The town intends to borrow two authorized loans for a period of no more than 10 years and 3% interest. 

Voters authorized the town in April to purchase 60.75 acres of land on which the tower is located for $236,925. 

"We think this is one of our treasures, one of our assets," said Hans Lux, chairman of the Washington Island Town Council. 

But the purchase is not simple. The tower is connected to three different plots owned by three different people-the town discovered this in 1995. 

"So they reached an agreement with [owner, Julie Nelson] that the town pays the real estate tax for using the tower," Lux said.

The one-acre land that residents agreed to buy on Tuesday night is where the stairs to the tower are located. Lux said they must now buy the last piece, which includes part of the driveway.

The town closed the tower at the end of 2020 after discovering a damaged platform, and when the electors authorized the town to buy the tower in April, a question was raised: if the tower cannot be repaired, why did it cost so much money?

"The voters said they could buy it, but I didn't pull the trigger," Lux said. "I want to do more due diligence."

The town hired Dr. Dan Tingley of Wood Research and Development to evaluate the 60-year-old tower and point out what went wrong and how to repair it. Tingley is a senior engineer and wood technology expert, specializing in the restoration of old wooden structures. 

"They said it was definitely worth saving," Lux said. "If we just repair the platform, the lifespan of [tower] is about four years. By doing what we are doing [and repairing the supporting structure at the same time], we will gain more than 60 years."

Tingley was the engineer who evaluated the observation tower of Potawatomi State Park and determined that he could repair it on-site for less than $250,000. The restoration of the Potawatomi Tower did not proceed because the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources stated that if it repairs it, it wants ADA to have access to it, and doing so will make the repair unaffordable. Those who advocate repairing the tower say that there is no need to make ADA accessible to repair it. If this is a national goal, it can be achieved in other ways. 

Lux stated that they do not expect any problems with ADA's accessibility.

"We are not going to change the tower; we are just restoring the materials," he said. "We will not change the format; we will not change the structure; we just remove the old and put in the new." 

The town is currently completing the works needed to reassemble the tower.

"If all goes well, we will bid for restoration work and hope to open it before Memorial Day next year," Lux said.

This is a proposal submitted by Lux and the board to voters on Tuesday night. The cost of repairing this tower is estimated at 100,000 U.S. dollars.

In addition, the town conducts road maintenance every five to seven years, when Doer County sets up a temporary factory to improve county-level roads. 

"We can't do it ourselves," Lux said. "We have to wait until all the materials are here."

This will be achieved in 2022. Lux said that they have saved US$800,000 to build a 5-mile island road, but due to increased costs, they still need about US$200,000. 

The amount authorized by the citizens on Tuesday night should include tower and road maintenance costs. If not, Lux said he is confident they can improve the rest.

"We might get a small amount of road grants, and there are great people on the island who can raise funds for the rest," Lux said.

On Tuesday night, voters also voted by 60 votes to 25 votes to authorize the town to increase the levy cap in 2022 beyond the allowable levy by 7.36%, or US$85,446.91. The total tax levied on property owners in 2022 is US$1,414,150.91, which includes the state-allowed tax of US$1,328,704 plus an increase of US$85,446.91 permitted by voters.

During the tower closure, everything is fine on Washington Island

Affordable repair services provide another option for repair work

Unity Hospice receives funding to help residents of Washington Island

Hopes for tower restoration soar

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