Town of Gravelbourg says goodbye to water tower

Lifelong resident of the Gravelbourg community, Minnie Nugent stands in front of the water tower set to be deconstructed. (Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

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.”

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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."