Town of Gravelbourg says goodbye to water tower
For as long as she can remember, 98-year-old Minnie Nugent has enjoyed the view of a water tower in the skyline, welcoming her home to Gravelbourg.
"I remember coming into Gravelbourg, and that's the first thing you see, because you can see it, like, ten miles out ... that's the first thing you notice is a water tower. So, it's kind of sad that they're going to take it down,” she told CTV News.
The structure, which was built in 1928, is scheduled for demolition this weekend as the town transitions to a new system.
"We are in the midst of getting a grant for a new water line all the way down from the water treatment plant, down to here and down First Avenue. For fighting fires [and a] better volume of water. Now, because that tower is 100-years-old and it's hooked up to our system. We have applied through that grant to get help us to take it down,” Gravelbourg Mayor Darcy Stefiuk explained.
"It's sad. I wish they wouldn't have to do that to take it down. But they say it's it has to come down.”
While the tower has not been in use for the past two and a half years, Nugent remembers a time when it served a crucial purpose for her community.
"We used to get our water from there … they'd pump [it]. We used to have wells all over town ... as far as I know, they would pump it into the tower and we'd get our water from there," Nugent recalled.
Mayor Stefiuk is certainly aware of the sentimental value the tower holds, and there are plans to keep pieces of the landmark in town.
"We'll hopefully to use some parts of it to build a gazebo in our park and also a bandstand, just as a memory ... It is a keepsake is all it is,” Stefiuk said.
“It's an icon. A lot of people think that it's worth keeping, but at what amount? You know, it just doesn't work financially."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health official confirms death of Ontario child following rabies diagnosis
A health official has confirmed a child in Ontario has died after they came in contact with a rabid bat.
American expat votes in Canada could 'change everything': election expert
With the U.S. election widely predicted to be a close race, some believe American voters in Canada and overseas will be crucial in helping elect the new president about a month from now.
Ontario family devastated after losing thousands to online flight ticket scam
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
Grandparents found hugging each other after fallen tree killed them in their South Carolina home
As Hurricane Helene roared outside, the wind howling and branches snapping, John Savage went to his grandparents' bedroom to make sure they were OK.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
Influential prophesizing pastors believe reelecting Trump is a win in the war of angels and demons
Thousands sang, cheered and prayed as multiple preachers declared Donald Trump to be God's favoured candidate to defeat what one called the “forces of darkness.”
W5 Investigates What it's like to interview a narco
Drug smuggling is the main industry for Mexican cartels, but migrant smuggling is turning into a financial windfall. In this fourth instalment of CTV W5's 'Narco Jungle: The Death Train,' Avery Haines is in Juarez where she speaks with one of the human smugglers known as 'coyotes.'
B.C. man ordered to pay damages for defamatory Google review
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
DEVELOPING Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signalling a wider offensive
The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a UN-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.