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Water utilities recommend demolishing Harris Park standpipe; demolition estimated at ~$300,000 versus >$2 million for rehabilitation
Summary
Water Utilities engineering manager Amanda Bagwell told the Public Works Committee that the 1960 Harris Park standpipe is out of service, costly to maintain and that demolition — estimated at about $300,000 — is preferable to a full rehabilitation costing more than $2 million.
Amanda Bagwell, water utilities engineering manager, presented a staff recommendation to demolish the Harris Park standpipe during the Public Works Committee meeting on May 12. Bagwell said the welded‑steel standpipe was built in 1960, has about 2.15 million gallons of capacity and has not been in routine service since 2011. "The estimated cost to recoat the tower and to repair the, any steel plates, any damage that's occurred, to that, steel tank and to repair the pump house and replace, the pumps, is in excess of $2,000,000," Bagwell said. "The estimated cost to demolish it is roughly about $300,000."
Bagwell explained the standpipe stores water as a vertical column and requires pumping to fill and discharge; newer nearby towers (Ransom, Shear and Hook) operate with elevated bowls that serve distribution pressure more efficiently and by gravity. The standpipe was removed from service in 2011 and staff said its pump house and electrical systems are aging and would require substantial, ongoing reinvestment if the city kept it in service.
The water master plan completed in 2023 recommended demolition. Under the staff recommendation, the above‑ground tank and the concrete slab would be removed, the pump house would be demolished to grade, above‑ground piping and electrical would be removed, and the site would be restored with seed and grass; underground piping and vaults would be retained and a pressure sensor installed to monitor system pressure.
Council Member Rader and other committee members noted the standpipe's long service history and asked procedural questions; no formal vote was taken during the committee discussion. Staff presented the demolition estimate and said the lower upfront cost and reduced ongoing maintenance needs supported demolition as the fiscally prudent option.
Staff will return with a preferred schedule and procurement approach if the council directs proceeding with demolition.
