When the Evergreen Shores water tower was raised 26 feet in 2007, Pittsburgh Tank and Tower veered from the engineering design, Bill Dixon, president of Dixon Engineering Inc. of Lake Odessa told St. Ignace City Council Monday, June 16. The on-site modifications, he said, affected the structural integrity of the tower. Internal stiffeners shown in this picture, taken March 12, 2007, should have been placed at equal distances, but were not. The tower cracked during a windstorm March 1, 2007. With no warranty agreement and lingering questions over the Evergreen Shores water tower, the St. Ignace City Council unanimously agreed to postpone accepting ownership of the structure during its Monday, June 16, meeting. Any decision regarding the structure now will wait until Council meets again July 7. Council members say they will seek a five-year warranty for the tower and may require a surety bond.

The tower cracked in a March 2007 storm, after it had been raised 26 feet by Pittsburgh Tank and Tower.

The city's consultant in the matter, Dixon Engineering of Lake Odessa, gave its report Monday night on why the tower failed, stating that stiffeners were improperly installed. The tower has since been repaired, but since Pittsburgh's elevated tank division has since been purchased by Phoenix Fabricators and Erectors, the city should be careful about which company it wants to warrant the extension, said Dixon Engineering's president, Bill Dixon, who attended the meeting Monday.

City attorney Prentiss Brown, Jr. was asked to clarify which company should provide the warranty.

The $80,000 extension to the city's water tower was paid for by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians so as to provide service to its Mackinac Trail hotel, casino, and housing development.

Les Therrian, director of the Department of Public Works, told council he had expected to receive a warranty agreement as late as Monday afternoon, but none was received.

Council briefly considered accepting the tower contingent on the receipt of a three-year to fiveyear warranty. Councilmen Paul Fullerton and Willie LaLonde questioned accepting the tower without seeing the warranty.

A one-year warranty would normally be acceptable, but Mr. Dixon said this is an extraordinary situation and an extended warranty is a reasonable request under the circumstances. A warranty usually begins when a tank is operational, which would have been in March when the tank was filled with water.

The tower failed, Mr. Dixon said, when Pittsburgh workers didn't follow engineering blueprints. While there also were flaws in the design, he said, the modifications made by the welders created the major problem with the stability of the tank.

Mr. Dixon described the tower in four sections: 1) The cone-shaped base, called the bell; 2) Ametal platform above the bell, which is called the condensate ceiling; 3) the stem; 4) the ball, which actually holds the water.

Rather than removing the stem section and inserting new steel, crews removed the condensate ceiling and lifted the bell onto a new foundation. The condensate was reinstalled about three inches lower than before. Changing that structural element weakened the tank, Mr. Dixon said.

He consulted with water tower expert Bob Wozniak, he told Council, and the men agreed that Pittsburgh Tank and Tower did not use enough stiffeners, and the distance between the stiffeners was not consistent. The stiffeners ranged from 4.5 feet apart to as far as 8 feet apart, when they should have be spaced at equal distances.

The tower, said Mr. Dixon, also was not properly bolted down. The anchor bolts should be tight onto the anchor plate. The city found the bolts lose, and Pittsburgh later tried to add rubber pads between the anchor bolts and plates.

"I don't know what their thinking was," Mr. Dixon said.

Now, after repairs, he said, the tank meets all requirements, standards, and specifications.

Bus Station Update

Ameeting between the city staff, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and design firm DLZ is set for Thursday, June 19. The group will discuss bus entry and exit avenues at the $1.3 million bus station. Concern over traffic congestion as busses enter and exit the proposed US-2 and Church Street site will be reviewed, although only six daily runs come through St. Ignace, most at night or early morning.

By July 10, he said, contract documents will be submitted to the city. Bids are expected in August and construction is scheduled to begin in September.

Liquor License Transfers

Council approved transferring an on-premise liquor license at Gateway Lanes from Quentin Goudreau to Wanda Paquin of BCalm, LLC. Also approved was a liquor license transfer for serving and take-out from North Bay Inn of Erin Enterprises, Inc. to Jose's Cantina, LLC. Application was made by Sandra Durm.

Mayor Exchange Day

The city will participate with mayor exchange day. Mayor Paul Grondin will visit Rogers City July 8, and Rogers City mayor will visit St. Ignace July 10.

City To Sell Truck

The City will seek a minimum bid of $12,000 to sell a six-yard capacity truck being used for cemetery work. The truck, said Mr. Dodson, is too big for the work. The city also will seek a pickup truck to use in its place.

City Council next meets Monday, July 7, at 8 p.m. in Council Chambers in City Hall on State Street.