Airdrie City council members voted unanimously this week in favour of preserving one of the city’s most recognized landmarks – the Airdrie Water Tower – as a historical resource to be kept and maintained for future generations.
The 72-foot-tall metal structure, which was built in 1959, previously provided residents with safe drinking water, a modern sewage system, an enhanced fire brigade, and the ability to store 50,000 gallons of water, according to Jennifer Lutz, team leader of community development at the City of Airdrie.
She said the tower put Airdrie on the map as a village that was providing its residents modern amenities and services, and in its day, “it stood out like a beacon.”
“For many old timers, the tower has been symbolic to the community and is recognized as a piece of its history,” Lutz said at the Feb. 7 council meeting. She added the tower is currently referenced on the City of Airdrie’s website as one of two historic structures in the community, alongside the Nose Creek Bridge to the Elevators.
“I grew up in Airdrie and it was the biggest thing in town, and it really did stand out,” she said. “That and the grain elevators were the only [structures] that really had height in Airdrie.”
The water tower was decommissioned in 1977 after Airdrie had been linked up to Calgary’s water supply system the year before.
Nineteen years ago, council voted to conserve the water tower's landmark status. In 2020, a comprehensive historical assessment was conducted by the City, resulting in a recommendation that the water tower is of considerable heritage value to the municipality.
“The character-defining elements outlined in the statement of the significance are integral to its heritage value,” Lutz said. “The conservation of the Airdrie Water Tower offers the opportunity to continue the City’s commitment to the protection of Airdrie’s culture, heritage, and the fostering of a sense of place, community, identity, and pride.”
She noted council members have already demonstrated strong support for the tower by providing funding for its renovation in the 2021 capital budget, allocating approximately $300,000 to a refurbishment project.
Historical significance
During a recent Community Service Board meeting, it was learned that the plot of land previously leased to a business west of the tower is now available for development, adding the potential for “place-making space,” according to Lutz.
Public suggestions for the future of the tower were heard during community engagement sessions prior to the council meeting on Feb. 7. Suggestions included leaving the tower as it is and proclaiming it a historic resource, allocating it for various art projects, or re-locating the tower, the latter of which would eliminate the possibility for a historical designation.
It was also suggested that a digital art projection might be a viable option, allowing for a historical status designation.
“The community service board had a very robust conversation about the diverse options, and we had some options that we hadn’t considered come up too,” Lutz said. “It was expressed that many Airdrie residents do feel a strong attachment to the water tower, as it is one of Airdrie’s older intact physical structures.”
Lutz said while some voting members had different ideas of what could be done, their decision was ultimately to recommend to council that the tower be restored as a historical designation, and to bring back additional options for place-making that would not affect the new designation.
“We’d like to bring back a design plan on what we could do with that space to be creative and give people more opportunities to enjoy the location,” she said. With the historic designation, she noted there would be government grants available to help with the maintenance and enhancement of the tower.
Following council’s decision to designate the tower as a historical landmark, the advisory board will be tasked with providing design and budget options at a later date that would incorporate maker space, art, culture, and historical elements to the area.
Council divided on tower's future
Coun. Candice Kolson said she was worried that by designating the tower as a historical resource, the City would only be “prolonging the inevitable” breakdown of the tower over time and creating an expense for Airdrie taxpayers in the future.
She called into question the frequency of maintenance required on the tower.
Chris Reason, team leader of building operations at the City, responded by saying the structural integrity of the tower – including its concrete footings and bolts – will need to be assessed every five years, while a new coat of paint should be applied both inside and outside the tower every 10 years.
As part of the City’s current efforts to revitalize the tower, sandblasting and painting the inside and outside of the tower are set to be completed this fall, but all reports indicate the tower is structurally sound in its current state, according to City staff.
In response, Kolson said it “hurts her heart” to consider getting rid of Airdrie’s water tower, but she added she doesn’t believe maintaining the structure is a good use of City funds.
“I’m really torn on this, and I think I’ve always been a little bit torn on it,” she said.
Adversely, Coun. Ron Chapman said he believes the Airdrie Water Tower should be saved by any means necessary and doesn’t feel it should be converted into an art project.
“I think we have to maintain it as a historical resource. It’s the last thing we have that Airdrie has control of,” Chapman said, adding the City might consider implementing a tourist shop, info centre, or place maker space in the additional land allocated to the west of the tower.
“I think with some good thought, there’s something that can be done with that small piece of land to incorporate the water tower and let people know the history of Airdrie.
“Airdrie has a great history and I think we have to get it out there and there’s not so many people that know it."
Similarly, Coun. Al Jones said there is a desire within the community to preserve and foster culture and art projects in the city, adding the water tower falls within that realm.
“When we’re talking about identity, this is part of our past,” Jones said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve chatted with folks that wish we had diligently fought to keep the old grain elevators and what an attraction that could have been today and what we could have done with those.
“Beyond the bridge that we just reclaimed, there’s not a lot in Airdrie to identify our past or give cause for people to even discuss the past and how we got to where we are today.”
Jones added when he first moved to Airdrie in 1994, the water tower was the first item touted as a landmark.
“Everything else – the old hotel, the old tile factory, the grain elevators, everything else that was historical back then – has over time been eliminated,” he said. “I think this is our last link to the past and I would not want to see it go.”
Coun. Tina Petrow said longtime Airdrie residents have an attachment to the tower, but many of the city's newer residents don’t have the same connection. To them, she said it is just something they drive by because of its “awkward location.”
“I think it’s important it stays in the community but it’s important that the place making goes along with it,” Petrow said, adding she hopes to create a connection to the tower and added community investment.
Finally, Coun. Heather Spearman said she believes the decision boils down to identity and who Airdrie is as a community. She hopes to see the spot become more of a tourist attraction in the future.
“If we’re lighting up that tower at night and it’s got a nice, beautiful ‘Airdrie’ in big black letters and people can see what we are, we’re less of a passing by [locale] and more of a destination,” she said.
“It’s not that far from downtown, so as we develop our downtown and make it more of a point of interest, I think there’s a lot of potential there to really enrich what we are and the stories that we have to tell.”
