LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Change is coming to Lake Worth Beach as crews prepare to take down a piece of the area’s history.
One of the city’s water towers is set to be demolished. While some residents are sad to see it go, city officials say the move is necessary.
Built in 1946, 78 years later the water tower that sits on the corner of 22nd Avenue North and North D Street in Lake Worth Beach will be no more. While it’s not been in use since Aug of 2023, neighbors in the area say it’s been a navigational point for years.
“It’s like an icon, it’s a good landmark,” said Scott Seaman, a resident in the area.
City leaders, however, cite safety concerns for the final decision to tear it down. Seaman, who also shares a street with the tower, says at times it has been a hazard.
“There was an issue with a piece of metal that broke off of it, it was swinging in the air freely, and the city of Lake Worth came over and fixed that,” said Seaman.
The safety concern is one of many reasons why Lake Worth Beach Water Plant Manager Garry Baker says it has to go.
“I’ve gotten reports that it sounds like church bells going off, and that’s actually the wind rods that are up there deteriorating, they’ll break. If someone happens to be around the area and they do, they could get impaled by one of them,” said Baker. “We don’t get proper turnover on the tower, we have two of them in the city.”
In addition to the corrosion, Baker says it’s affecting water quality.
The city will continue to use its other tower near 6th Avenue. In the meantime, demolition is slated for Jan. 13 and is expected to be a swift process. Residents can also anticipate closures in the area.
What happens next with the vacant lot left behind will be up to the city commission, but Baker says he was told it will be repurposed to benefit the community.
