I wrote this in 2007. It is hard to believe that the NSP smoke stack on the Mississippi River near the Smith Avenue Highbridge has been gone for 15+ years.
What got me thinking about this is how change is the only thing we can count on. Change is a constant in our lives.
Some may think this is a Friday fun post on Monday, but it is not. My neighbors and our City Council Rep, Dave Thune, all know that I am serious about this. I started talking about it in late 2005 when I learned about the new power plant. I sent an email to Ed Johnson of the Fort Road Federation suggesting that we keep the stack, or that we at least consider it. We don’t own it, Xcel Energy does, but our city has a great deal of influence over riverfront development.
The old coal-burning highbride plant will soon be replaced with a gas-burning power plant. As a result, the old plant will be demolished. I would like to see the stack from the plant saved. Why would I care about a smokestack? Why not? We preserve grain elevators and tiny homes that were built in the mid-1800s. Why would we demolish a landmark? The stack is 556 feet tall and can be seen for miles. It is also a home for the peregrine falcons. (See the live cam)
Peregrine falcons are most at home high in the sky, where they “skydive” for prey. By installing nest boxes at a height of 300- 600 feet above the ground, they created an environment similar to the high cliffs they prefer.
Millions of dollars were used to save, move, and preserve the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and it does not look all that different from our smokestack. With a little paint, we could achieve the same effect.
I understand why people don’t get all excited about saving a smokestack, but I think we should consider it. Once the plant is removed, the land will be green space. No one would dream of demolishing the vacant Island station plant just upstream.
As for much of the rest of the power plant, I don’t imagine anyone will miss it too much. Personally, I will be happy when the coal piles are gone. A couple of years ago, on a windy da,y the coal dust got into our house, making us wonder how much coal dust we have inhaled over the last 25 years, and why in a state where everything is illegal, no one talks about the health hazards associated with living near a coal pile.
I have a neighbor who admits that he finds the blinking red light on the top of the stack comforting. I can relate and have been known to sit on the back porch at night and watch the lights blink on and off.
This post is now a part of our history. The picture on the bottom was taken from the Smith Avenue bridge and is the best picture I have of the old coal-burning plant. The black that is dead center in the photo is coal, and you can see the old Schmidt Brewery on the horizon.
