STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A closed observation tower in Door County will be dismantled.
Evidence of significant wood decay was found during a number of assessments done on the 75-foot tower at Potawatomi State Park in Sturgeon Bay.
The nearly 90-year-old tower was closed to the public in December 2017 after staff noticed visual decay.
The DNR announced Wednesday, it must come down.
In the fall of 2019, the DNR solicited bids on possible options for the tower. The report, released in January 2020, outlined the following options: Repair the tower by taking it down and putting it back together with new wood; repair the tower in place; or replace the tower with a new tower.
The DNR said its legal team determined that all three options outlined in the report would require the tower to be physically accessible in accord with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it must be dismantled.
The DNR says it will work with the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society and the public to explore replacement options according to the park’s existing master plan.
A date for deconstruction was not revealed.
A similar tower in Peninsula State Park was taken down in 2016 after officials found wood decay. Construction on the new Eagle Tower is expected to begin this year and be complete by summer.
