The Department of Natural Resources says that the Potawatomi State Park observation tower, which has been closed since the spring of 2018, will be taken down. The DNR cites three studies indicating significant wood rot and decay necessitating the need to take the tower down.
The Sturgeon Bay Historical Society commissioned an assessment determining that the tower could be repaired. Three options were reviewed last fall with the DNR & third party independent consultants, those being: repair the tower by taking it down & putting it together with new wood; repair the tower in place; or replace the tower with a new tower. After reviewing those options it was determined that legally, all three options required the tower to be physically accessible in accord with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The DNR determined the best decision was to take the tower down and work with partners and the public to plan a future accessible observation platform at the park.
No time frame for deconstruction has been announced. The 75 foot tower was built in 1932.
