In Cochrane history this week: While the new water tower was being built in 1994, a group was lobbying to save the old one downtown as a tourist attraction.
The Old Water Tower Preservation Society said it would be at no cost to the town.
In an article in the Cochrane Times of March 12th, 1994, spokesperson Liette deBlois said she already owned five buildings and didn’t want taxes to go up.
After eight months of meetings, the Preservation Society decided it wanted an eight-storey-high polar bear statue enveloping the 12-storey-high tower.
The polar bear’s scarf would contain an indoor observation deck with windows and maybe pay telescopes.
The Times reported that the group imagined it being a major tourist attraction that could also be used by schools for activities like watching the Northern Lights.
As always, our history feature is derived from the archives of the Cochrane Public Library.