City of Owen Sound Faces the Cost of Centennial Tower Neglect & Decades of Deferred Maintenance
Owen Sound City Council has added a $265,000 Centennial Tower repair to its capital plan—without funding or a clear timeline—following decades of deferred maintenance and repeated closures.
Owen Sound City Council met on June 23 to discuss multi-year capital plan issues. One of those was a request from staff to include $435,000 to rehabilitate the Centennial Tower and its access path in the 2026–2030 Multi-year Capital Plan as an unfunded project.
The tower has been closed since 2024, pending major repairs and a comprehensive asset management program for City facilities.
However, this is just the most recent in a string of safety-related closures. These issues have persisted over decades as Councils have failed to budget for the ongoing maintenance of the tourist attraction entrusted to the City of Owen Sound by local students in commemoration of Canada's centennial.
Council Debates Adding Centennial Tower Rehabilitation to the City’s Capital Plan
The Centennial Tower was most recently closed to the public on August 23, 2024, immediately following a structural assessment by GEI Consultants that identified serious safety concerns, including significant corrosion and section loss in the steel panels supporting the tower. The path to the tower is also in poor shape, and the barriers are not preventing people from accessing the tower.
The financial breakdown for both aspects of the project is $265,000 for the tower and $170,000 for the path.
Based on GEI’s recommendation, the City installed barriers and signage that day to prevent access, later replacing them with more permanent closures and wayfinding signage. The closure remains in effect due to the identified structural risks. However, staff noted that Parks & Rec team members continue to deal with people trespassing on the property.
Editor’s Note: Despite the lengthy closures and the City’s present concerns about safety, the Centennial Tower is still listed as a must-visit tourist attraction on the county’s VisitGrey.ca website, as of June 23, 2025.
In the ensuing discussion, Councilor Suneet Kukreja asked whether the Centennial Tower could access funding for heritage properties. Staff noted that although it is not currently designated a heritage property, adding it may be a possibility.
Councilor Marion Koepke suggested that community groups such as 100 Women Who Care or their male counterparts could donate toward the project.
Councilor Jon Farmer said it was his understanding that a previous council had committed to maintaining the Centennial Tower when it was donated to the City. Staff noted there were no memoranda of understanding with community groups in place, and they had not been saving funds toward this project.
Public Concerns Over Neglect of Centennial Tower Have Spanned Decades
In a 2020 letter to the editor of The Owen Sound Hub, former Owen Sound resident and journalist Jonathon Jackson shared his disappointment at finding Centennial Tower locked and inaccessible during a Thanksgiving visit with his grandson.
Hoping to pass along local history and showcase the scenic view from the historic tower, Jackson instead found the site unwelcoming — the gate bolted shut, and the interpretive plaque weather-damaged and nearly unreadable.
Jackson, a historian and journalist, expressed concern not only about the tower’s physical closure but also about what he saw as a broader neglect of local heritage. He noted historical inaccuracies on the plaque and questioned the city's long-term commitment to maintaining the site as a meaningful landmark.
Jackson Shares Centennial Tower’s History
The Centennial Tower, situated on the southern edge of Owen Sound, was originally conceived in 1967 by students from West Hill Secondary School and OSCVI as a project to commemorate Canada's centennial.
According to Jackson’s reporting in the Owen Sound Sun Times (August 3, 2000) and archived on his website, the students raised funds to purchase the land and oversaw the development of the tower and its surrounding park. Officially opened in 1969, the property was later gifted to the City of Owen Sound, which agreed to maintain the site.
However, over the ensuing decades, the tower fell into disrepair, prompting its closure. Public concern over a plan to demolish the structure sparked a successful preservation effort, which culminated in a $100,000 restoration project completed with support from the city, the province, and a local fundraising committee.
The restored tower reopened in August 2000. City officials, including Acting Mayor Ruth Lovell and Coun. Deborah Haswell, acknowledged the city’s lapse in maintenance but emphasized renewed efforts to integrate the site into Owen Sound’s trail network and tourist infrastructure.
Fundraising chair Bill Stobbe highlighted the enduring legacy of the students' original vision, which transformed a barren plot into a cherished civic landmark.
Council Approves Centennial Tower Work, But Removes Request for Accessible Trail to It
In the course of Council’s discussion, other concerns were raised regarding safety and the increasing cost if repairs are not addressed.
Deputy Mayor Scott Grieg objected to the cost of making the path from the parking lot to the tower accessible, considering it a natural area and that the tower itself is not accessible. The City of Owen Sound disbanded its Accessibility Advisory Committee in a 4-3 vote in September 2023.
Councillor Carol Merton pointed out that the path needs to be upgraded in order for City vehicles to access the site for maintenance, but staff noted that it was a secondary use and they would use utility vehicles to access it.
Council approved Greig’s requested amendment to remove the funding request for the path-of-travel upgrades, taking the accessible path off the table and retaining only the tower rehab project for the 2026-2030 plan.
Council then approved the amended motion to add the Centennial Tower rehabilitation portion of the project as an unfunded $265,000 need to the City’s multi-year Capital Plan.
There is no timeline for when the work to reopen Centennial Tower, which must first be funded, might be completed.