DOOR CO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is looking into the future of a historic observation tower in Door Country.
The Wisconsin DNR made the future of the Potawatomi State Park Observation Tower a little bit clearer Thursday night.
“We had to repair the existing tower or the new tower must reflect historic characteristics of the current tower — that was very important to everyone,” lead planner Fred Groth said.
The popular tower shut down in 2017 due to decaying wood. Since then, state officials have looked into all possible options, including restoration of the current tower.
“Yes, it can be repaired but there’s going to be considerable amount of repairs needed,” Groth said. “It’s not only going to have to repair the columns, but there’s some beams around the perimeter that are in bad shape that are going to have to be replaced.”
Milwaukee-based engineering company GRAEF was brought in for project planning.
Groth said community input made one thing clear: people want to see a faithful representation of the original.
But the plan had to balance the original design with state code.
“All visible structural elements must be wood or resemble a wood product — that was another criteria,” Groth said. “Pretty important that the tower must be fully accessible to all park visitors of all abilities.”
The four options include the current tower and a new one, each with different ramp variations for accessibility.
GRAEF did recommend one option in particular: a new tower with a helical ramp. Groth said it’s the most cost effective.
However, the DNR wants to hear from the community before making a decision.
“The DNR will summarize the public input received and make a recommendation through DNR leadership to the governor’s office on which course to take to move the Potawatomi project forward,” Wisconsin State Park Director Steve Schmelzer said.
Schmelzer is encouraging people to say what they want their future tower to look like. Gov. Tony Evers will include the most popular option in the 2023 Capital budget.
Click here to participate in the DNR’s public survey.
