101 S Webster, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707
Phone: 608-267-2773 TDD: 711dnr.wi.gov | wisconsin.gov
DATE: July 13, 2016
CONTACT: Ben Bergey, Wisconsin State Parks director, 608-266-2185
SUBJECT: Peninsula State Park Eagle Tower deconstruction delayed
http://dnr.wi.gov/news/releases/article/?id=4006
FISH CREEK, Wis. - The deconstruction of Eagle Tower at Peninsula State Park originally scheduled for mid-July will be delayed until mid-September due to challenges the Department of Natural Resources experienced obtaining a contractor and necessary equipment. The tower will remain closed until deconstruction begins.
The park closed the tower to public use in May 2015 to protect public safety after an inspection report raised significant concerns over its structural integrity and an inspection by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory found considerable deterioration of the structural and non-structural wood members.
Current plans are to deconstruct the existing tower and rebuild a new structure to look as similar as possible to the existing tower, while complying building codes, Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and taking into consideration new technologies.
The Friends of Peninsula State Park in cooperation with interested community members has formed a subcommittee, the Eagle Tower Fund Committee, which is raising funds to rebuild Eagle Tower.
The tower will be taken down in sections making all practical efforts to minimize destruction of tower members.. Staff from the Forest Products Lab will assess all remaining wood elements to determine the existing structural integrity and level of deterioration.
The deconstruction and assessment work will require a temporary traffic rerouting of a section of Shore Road within the park close to the tower, as well as some trails near the tower.
Peninsula State Park staff will be coordinating outreach programs during the tower deconstruction and wood assessment, with presentations by park staff and Forest Products Lab engineers.
The kiosk at the entrance station/park office and the kiosk located at Eagle Tower will be updated regularly with information regarding ongoing work. People can also sign up to receive email updates on tower progress by searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, for "Eagle Tower" and clicking on the "subscribe for Eagle Tower updates" email icon.
