Port Just Steps Away from 80-Foot Observation Tower

If all goes as planned, could soon be home to an 80-foot observation tower — a one-of-its-kind along Lake Michigan.

The Port Washington Plan Commission recommended approval of the tower during its meeting last week, and the Common Council will meet in January to discuss the new addition to the city, according to Randy Tetzlaff, director of planning and development for Port. The commission voted 5-1 to recommend the plans, according to the Ozaukee Press, with Mayor Scott Huebner against the tower because of its height.

"The Friends of the Tower are proposing an effort similar to Possibility Playground," Tetzlaff said in an e-mail. "They would raise funds, build the tower using a professional contractor and donate it to the city."

Plan Commission members thought it would be a "wonderful gift and a real attraction for residents and tourists alike," Tetzlaff said, adding that the tower would be the only one right on Lake Michigan — the tower at Schlitz Audubon is further inland and towers in Door County are facing the Bay of Green Bay.

"At 80 feet it would be as high as the tower at the Sheboygan Marsh," Tetzlaff said, "while the Parnell tower is 60 feet in the Northern Kettle and both towers in Peninsula and Potawatomi State Parks are 75 feet."

Trees in Upper Lake Park reach between 60 and 80 feet, so the tower would need to be above the trees for viewing purposes, Tetzlaff said. City officials were also concerned about liability and maintenance issues, and "an engineering study will be required to verify soil suitability." 

The Common Council will consider the item at one of its meetings in January. Its next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Jan 3.