Dozens gather in Door County to discuss saving the historic Eagle Tower in Peninsula State Park.
The tower was closed last spring after cracks and rotted wood were found making it unsafe.
A petition was started to restore the 75 foot landmark built in 1914.
The decision will ultimately be made by the DNR.
There are several options being considered, after several studies done by engineers found the current tower unsuited for the kind of tourist traffic it sees.
Today's meeting at the Old Town Hall in Fish Creek brought together officals from the DNR, representatives from Friends of the Peninsula State Park and Door County Property Owners Organization, as well at state lawmakers fighting for the tower's future.
After an inspection of the tower in April of 2015, the current tower will not open unless significant changes are made or a new tower is built altogether.
Most people in attendance agree that the tower is an icon to be cherished in Door County and attracts valuable tourism. Since it's construction, generations of people have enjoyed climbing to the top for the picturesque views. Many people in attendance at the meeting said they would not want the tower to be torn down, but instead restored to a better state.
Another option would be to reconstruct a new structure that looked the same, or construct an all new structure that would be made accessible for people with disabilities. That would mean including an elevator.
Senator Frank Lasee has been a driving force in taking action to restore or repair the tower, the decision of which still remains, like the tower, up in the air.
Lasee has proposed a bill that would provide up to $300,000 toward repairing Eagle Tower. It would also require the DNR to give a report to the standing committees by March 1 with their plan to have the tower repaired, opened and made accessible to the public.
