Since a report revealed that Moser Tower needs up to $3.8 million in repairs, a debate has continued about whether the city should save it or tear it down.
City Council will get a recommendation from the Riverwalk Commission, which revealed at a recent meeting that a dedicated task force will be formed to help decide.
“It is a community asset that was given to the city and we’re the caretakers of it now and stepping back and having the community at large have input into its fate is advisable,” said Geoff Roehll, Chairman of the Riverwalk Commission.
The task force will be filled with mayoral appointees – and will include a City Council member, a Riverwalk commissioner, members of the former Carillon Foundation, a park district representative, and a few members of the public at large.
Part of their job will be to review new information provided by several contractors, who will be meeting with the city’s transportation, engineering, and design team, to survey the tower and potentially provide lower-cost solutions, including cathodic protection, carbon fiber wrapping, and new sealants.
“We will be getting a lot of information, potentially doing some testing, and trying to figure out what other options we can consider.” Said Bill Novack, Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Design in Naperville.
The original plan was to make a decision by September to add the project into the city’s 2018 capital improvements budget, but these new factors will push it back, likely into early next year.
Once the Riverwalk Commission makes its recommendation, City Council will make the final say.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
