Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
What Should Be Done With The Decaying, Yet Meaningful, Relic At Gotte Park?
Some consider the historic Titan missile at Gotte Park worth restoring. Others say it has badly deteriorated and become a public hazard. Kimball has a debate on its hands.
At the July 18 Kimball City Council meeting, a discussion was held on possible improvements to Gotte Park. Improvement topics ranged from the drainage ditch to various park improvements to the removal of the Titan I missile displayed on park grounds.
Only the bottom part of the missile remains standing today, and pictures taken by the City of Kimball electric department show areas of the missile that are rotted through.
Mayor John Morrison said, "It is actually becoming a hazard to the public."
It is no surprise that the relic of the Cold War, Berlin Wall and Cuban Missile Crisis eras is showing its age. The Titan airframe was constructed from aluminum, a combination of high strength copper and aluminum. The panels were then attached to the frame of the missile. Therefore the Titan would be able to be vertical without the aid of internal pressurization, but not forever.
City Administrator Annette Brower said, "I have been in contact with the military, where we have this on lease."
The military requested pictures of the corrosion and asked what the city wanted to do with the missile, keep it or send it back. According to Brower, the question remains who would pay for the removal. The structural integrity of the missile was compromised due to removal of hazardous materials and weather related events. In the late 1990s, the top half of the missile fell due to strong winds. The top half of the missile is now stored at the landfill.
Council member Gabe Ingram spoke about the creation of a committee a few years ago interested in renovating the missile, although the committee hasn't met for a couple of years. Ingram wanted to continue storing the top half of the missile out at the landfill and work on rehabilitating the missile.
Kimball's long missile history and relationship with the Air Force began with the Atlas missile base installation southwest of Kimball in 1961. Then continued with the Minuteman and now the Sentinel missiles. For 60 years, the Air Force and the Defense Department have been part of the history and culture of the Kimball area.
Kimball became known as Missile Center USA during the Minuteman missiles' installation. According to The Observer's June 20, 1968 edition, "An Army engineer colonel who was working on the project in 1962 dubbed Kimball the missile center of the nation and probably the world."
A campaign began to acquire a missile for the town. In May 1967, Kimball Mayor "Curley" Hensley received confirmation that Kimball would receive the obsolete Titan missile, and it was to be erected in Gotte Park. The Titan system was never based out of the Kimball area.
The Observer's June 20, 1968 article continues, "Because Kimball boasts of the title, the community erected a huge missile in one of its parks to show people it wasn't kidding." In 1968, the Titan I missile reached 99 feet, 6 inches, and "its two rocket engines in the first phase are just a few inches off the ground."
According to the article, "The missile was given to Kimball by the Air Force, but it cost about $8,000 after that to see it in place." Mayor Hensley was credited with spearheading the missile project. It took two oilfield workover units to raise the missile before its dedication.
The missile was dedicated on July 27, 1968, in a ceremony where former Hensley smashed a bottle of champagne against the framework that supported the missile and said, "This is a symbol of peace, not war."
Gotte Park's Titan missile was originally 98 feet tall and designed as a backup in case the Atlas missile program failed. The missile in the park could hold a W38 or W49 warhead with explosive power of 3.75 or 1.44 megatons. The Titan was stored below ground in a silo but was vulnerable to attack because it took 15 minutes to launch. The Titan I was made in 1961 by Martin Company out of Denver and was declared obsolete in 1967.
There were 54 Titan I missiles operational from April 1962 until January 1965 and based out of Colorado, South Dakota, California, Washington and Idaho. Unlike the Atlas, the Titan was stored in a silo, then raised to the surface to launch.
For now, the Kimball City Council will continue to meet and study the improvements slated for Gotte Park – and wait for a cost to repair or remove what's left of the missile.
