An 80-year-old tower that sits atop city hall is the centre of a dilemma in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.
The hose tower, as it’s known locally, is threatening to topple over, leaving residents and officials debating whether to restore it or knock it down.
“It’s no beauty but the cost to restore it, it’s trivial,” said resident Jean Marc Richard, who has become an unofficial historian of the town.
Built in 1936, the tower was used by volunteer firefighters to dry leather hoses after blazes. It was also used to signal the locations of fires by using an alarm system similar to Morse Code.
Until the 1970s, the sound from the tower was also used to signal the town’s curfew.
“The policeman would go around and make sure there were no kids left on the streets,” said Richard, adding he was never caught.
Now, the structure is compromised. Mayor Paola Hawa said engineers have informed city hall it will not survive the winter.
While city council voted in favour of demolishing the tower earlier in August, Hawa is trying to change their minds. She’s invoked a measure that will allow council 30 days to review the motion.
Hawa said she could not disclose the cost of demolishing the tower but said restoring it would cost approximately $30,000.
“We often get requests to demolish buildings, to build big condo buildings and towers and we say ‘No, we have to protect the heart and soul of the village,’” she said. “So what kind of a message are we sending if we can’t spend $30,000 to $40,000 to keep something that is part and parcel of the soul of the village? Where do you stop after that?”
Hawa said she is hoping to garner public support to sway council before its vote on Sept. 12.
