Soap Lake lava lite may feature tower

Tower to offer history info

SOAP LAKE - The Soap Lake City Council listened to a presentation for an alternative way to make the lava lite an attraction to tourists Friday afternoon.

The concept was presented by John Glassco on behalf of the Soap Lake Conservancy. The idea involves mounting the lava lite to a 75-foot climbing tower.

The tower proposal has eight floors, Glassco said. The top floor serves as an information kiosk advising tourists of the view they are overlooking. Some of the information would include facts about the ice age floods and historic information related to Soap Lake.

He said the observation tower could be eligible for grant funds due to the historic connection.

Glassco said the climbing tower would get people out of their vehicles and may possibly encourage them to explore and spend tourist dollars in Soap Lake.

He suggested an admission price of $1 to support the maintenance of the tower. If excitement for the lava lite connected to the tower dwindles, it can be detached leaving the tower as the focal point.

An estimate provided by Atomic Props to erect the lava lite with frozen motion lights is $850,000.

A cost to build the tower was not provided.

Glassco asked council to allow the conservancy 90 days to find funding to build the tower. He offered to remove the lava lite parts from the Port of Ephrata and store it at no cost to the city.

Council unanimously approved the request.

The emergency meeting was held Friday due to a notice from the Port of Ephrata giving the city until Dec. 7 to move the lava lite, Mayor Wayne Hovde said.

At a previous council meeting council voted to stop the $600 per month storage payments to the port in an effort to move the structure.

Lava Lite Coordinator Al Lundberg said the proposal for the tower will not inhibit his efforts to find funds to construct the lava lite. The tower and the lava lite will be funded separately.

Citizen Loren Richard said the project will help Soap Lake prosper.

He said throwing out the idea of the lava lite attraction would be throwing away millions of dollars in tourism attractions.

"People will come, they will look at it," Richard said.

He recalled a man who came into a business several years ago wanting to know where the lava lite was. When the tourist was told it was not built yet, he said he drove more than 400 miles to see it. Instead he bought a few promotional posters and left.