LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
One-by-one, its metal panels were peeled away like a steel orange. The water tower defining Lackland's Security Hill skyline since 1951 was being torn down.
Construction contractors leveled the 155-foot elevated storage tank recently, clearing the area adjacent to the Cryptologic Systems Detachment for what will soon become 22 parking spaces.
"I'll always remember 2002 Hall Boulevard," said 802nd Civil Engineer Squadron project manager Elias Abdulahad. "It was the tower's address."
For nearly two years, Abdulahad, the base utility engineer, coordinated requirements for the project's planning, design review and final construction/demolition phases.
In 1998, the Security Hill water tower, with its 500,000 gallon capacity, was turned over to the San Antonio Water System. Since then, SAWS has been working to restore the water redistribution system in the Kelly Field Annex area and Port San Antonio.
The Security Hill structure's removal is part of a contract which includes the razing of the Jefferson Tank at Port San Antonio, due for completion Aug. 1. Tank tear down involved environmental testing to establish baseline levels of contamination from lead-based paint and other regulated materials, the dismantling of the steel tank, the removal of underground piers, footings and valve vaults, plus site restoration, including the replacement of topsoil and spreading of grass seed.
All steel recovered in the demolition is recycled by a locally-licensed scrap dealer.