[FONT=Verdana]The Cowell smokestack, a 235-foot icon on Concord's (CA) horizon, has stood watch over the city for 73 years.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]That watch comes to an end today, when the claws of a concrete pulverizer atop a 250-ton crane will begin the weeks-long process of tearing the concrete, brick and mortar landmark nearly to the ground.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]It is being torn down because it is falling apart. Chunks of concrete have been cracking off and plunging from the top of the stack for years.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Restoring it would cost much more than the $400,000 to $450,000 bill to tear it down, said Mark Weinmann, project manager of the demolition for the Cowell Homeowner's Association.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Estimates for preserving the stack were as high as $3 million, Weinmann said